


Original Bond

by ainamclane



Series: Little Black Dress RT Challenge [18]
Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Bonding, First Time, M/M, Magic, Mates, Pre-Slash, Sentinel/Guide Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-01 22:00:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6537838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainamclane/pseuds/ainamclane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a spell reveals Klaus' and Elijah's dormant heritage of their community.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> just a small one-shot of adding a Sentinel/Guide theme. set sometime beginning of S2. AU from there on
> 
> AU for TVD - The small timeframe of Elena being there and around post-S6/pre-S7

Of course there was a spell for everything. A spell for bringing back the dead, a spell for turning normal people into vampires, shifters, anything.

So of course there was a spell for them to suppress their heritage. It had been inevitable when they were first turned to immortals on their mother’s hand. It was the same now.

All a game of playing. Planning strategies, knowing who to hurt. 

And hurt they were.

What they barely acknowledged after all this time was their one true heritage. Their purpose for their tribe before they had been turned into Immortals. The reason they both hadn’t possessed any talents for witchcraft.

Elijah had been chosen over a thousand years before to be the special one out. Therefore, it wasn’t really his fault for not remembering or rather, recognizing, what was happening to him when it happened.

Add his heightened senses of being a Vampire and it was only logically that Elijah didn’t notice it right away. No, he only realized what was going on when there was a dull in the fighting and making plans. When there was a small break from the madness of fighting their father yet again and even this time around going against their mother.

Esther’s mad spell to bring back the heritage was what made this all spiral downhill from there. Or rather, what made it clearer all together.

What no one of all the other vampires ever knew? Vampire mated for life. While it was true that Elijah had only loved a handful of times over the span of a thousand years, there was only one true mate out there for him.

One perfect match that would last all eternity with him. The one soul that was reborn time again and again until they would meet. It sounded like a fairy tale for monsters but it was the simple truth. All of nature’s creations and witchcraft, there were always two parts of each. A spell and a counter spell. A poison and an antidote. Mortals and immortals. Death and life, birth and death. Thought they were never complete opposite, together those parts were the whole picture. Yin and Yang.

Werewolves had mates just as well as humans and witches. Though their life-span was relatively short and it was nearly impossible to find their perfect match.

Sentinels and Guides were the lucky exception among them. They were mostly born close to another location wise. The caretaker that nature had created alongside werewolves and vampires. The ones to feel the magic stirring around them and with heightened senses to warn the people of their communities about the coming threat.

So, yes, after a thousand years, Elijah had honestly forgotten that he had been trained as a Sentinel when he was…well, a kid didn’t quite fit. When he was younger.

The slowly coming to of his reawakened Sentinel gift was making a few things rather unpleasant for Elijah now. The stench of blood now nearly impossible to tolerate, the fragrant of sweat and decay of the mortals, the dust collecting in their home, the loud music drifting up from the streets and the sense of magic pretty much everywhere he went.

All along with the knowledge that his perfect match of a Guide was probably long lost to history.

“What is it now, Elijah?” Klaus asked and stalked into the room: “I don’t have time for whatever this is.”

Elijah turned to look at his younger brother, shielding himself mentally now that he had gotten his mental shields back into place: “I’m a Sentinel again.”

Niklaus’ shocked face was amusing at times, seeing that there was rarely anything that could actually shock the other man but this obviously counted as a surprise even for the ruthless man: “Do tell, brother, how did you come by this gift?”

“I would think that the presence of our supposedly dead family members could also be responsible for this? Mother did cast a spell to keep me from accessing this heritage, so my guess would be she undid it in order to torment me.” Elijah replied: “It is working in a way. I loath the smell of blood already.”

Klaus stalked closer to him, looking at him: “How are your senses?”

“I’m good. At first I didn’t notice it but I have my mental shields up again,” Elijah replied with a sigh: “The downside is that even I cannot maintain my mental shields alone forever.”

“Then, brother dear, we will find you a suitable Guide to bond with you this century until your perfect match comes back along,” Klaus replied with a fake-smile but Elijah could see the worry in his brothers’ face. After all this time, Klaus was actually worried to be left alone once and for all.

“You do forget, Klaus, that you were trained to be my Guide until which time I would find my Guide and until which time you would find your Sentinel,” Elijah replied: “So I guess your mental abilities should be returning just as well.”

Klaus seemed to think about this for a moment and then looked at his brother again: “Could that be why I’ve felt so off lately?”

“I believe that you feel off due to missing your child,” Elijah replied: “But I think that a certain part of you is more empathic to the people around you and as a result may alter your behavior.”

Klaus’ frown was expected. Elijah knew his brother had always thought of the empathy as a weakness and in the wake of them becoming vampires, they were truly subdued and making him ruthless. Now with the empathy returning, it could repulse Klaus from people as blood now repulsed Elijah.

That probably was Esther’s plan all along. She knew that if they had been handling their senses with their vampirism, they would have adapted. Now, though, now it was simply throwing them off-kilter.

“I don’t want to find a Sentinel,” Klaus sighed: “I could deal with you being my Sentinel forever.”

“But you do know that we cannot simply bond to whom we want? We need to be compatible,” Elijah reminded him: “Those chances are rather slim.”

“Let me get my mental shields up,” Klaus replied: “Then we can drop them one by one and see if we can get a partial bond. It would be enough to make us resistant to witches’ influence in that manner.”

Elijah waited patiently for Klaus’ mental shields to adapt again. It had taken him a rather short time but then he was always more accepting to his gift. Klaus had had a problem since he was a child and Elijah now counted it as a side effect of his brothers’ werewolf gene. It would also explain why there was only one known werewolf-sentinel around.

“Okay, brother, I am ready to try this,” Klaus nodded and Elijah’s mental shields stretched out until he met those of his brother. Then both men dropped one shield after another until the very basic shield was left. They were compatible to the last shield. That alone was rather strange.

“It is now or never,” Klaus said but Elijah hesitated and of course his brother noticed: “What?”

Elijah took a breath and voiced his concern: “What if we actually are a match? We never dropped our shields like this.”

“Then we deal with it as a bonded pair,” Klaus replied: “I know what this means, Elijah. If I would be unwilling to do this, trust me, I wouldn’t do this.”

Focusing back on their shields, they dropped the last remaining barrier and with a surprised gasp, their minds mingled, intertwining in an impossible tight fit that seemed to be forever permanent.

“You’re my mate,” Klaus said with startling realization and his werewolf-eyes were flashing: “You were always my mate and they kept us apart.”

Elijah was just as floored. The perfect match of their Sentinel-Guide bond was as basic and primal as it came. There was only one perfect match for everyone and they just found their match. Their shields merged and combined, layer upon layer was adding until they had erected all their basic shields again.

“I’m going to kill them for his,” Elijah said and focused on Klaus, touching him on the cheek: “Keeping our heritage and the one true mate is just cruel.”

“Oh trust me, they won’t see us coming. The benefactors of a Sentinel and Guide Bond in an original pair? It just gives us more advantage than ever thought possible.” Klaus smirked: “Of course this never existed before so we might just be very strong.”

“Sentinel and Guides are there to protect humans from witches and wolves alike,” Elijah agreed: “We also know they are immune to witches’ forces.”

Klaus rested his forehead against Elijah’s: “We’ll be so protective of one another that no one stands a chance.”

“I do have a question about our bond,” Elijah voiced. He was always the one to speak about everything and not let it sit in silence until it exploded out of him. He continued: “How far will you take this?”

“Oh you mean the fact that usually all pairs end up having sex?” Klaus drew back a bit: “You’re my soulmate by fate and magic, Elijah. You stood by my side every time and though I don’t deserve you, I won’t shy away because society thinks it is wrong. When we were raised, being half-siblings was distant enough to bear children with. I can’t get you pregnant in any way and I never had any social morals to begin with.”

“That you certainly never had,” Elijah agreed. Oh yes, this was going to be a high learning curve for their enemies in regard to attacking a bonded Sentinel and Guide Pair. Especially one of their magical mixture. They had seen witches curse a Sentinel and Guide Pair only for them to die as the curse was repelled. They had seen the wrath a Sentinel had unleashed in the wake of their dying Guide.

Their parents wouldn’t know what hit them. 

“The question is, which of our parents do we kill first?” Klaus asked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: I’m basing Mystic Falls on the film location Covington, GA instead of Virginia so the distance between New Orleans and Mystic Falls is shorter.  
> Continued due to comments and additional scenes i wanted to write

They were actively talking it through. Killing off their parents.

Again.

They were both rather quiet for a moment, mulling it over what to do. The good part about being under the same shields was simply that they were able to trade the fraction of a plan with the other to think about it and almost right away see their errors in planning.

It was a very new means of exchanging their thoughts and they realized, more certain to carry the emotions across that they tended to hide so much. They were never ones to show much emotions to begin with. 

Elijah, hiding behind a clean suit and a very calm nature, Klaus, showing anger, hatred and hurtful words before allowing anyone to see something else. Especially since his baby-daughter had been sent away for protection.

Oh, that protective streak they both (and Rebekah) had was exceeding anything else.

“I think we should first call a witch and get to know just how it happened that we came online and who did it. Our mother must know of the protection this bond gives us and her plan of bringing us back normal is just not working.” Elijah stated and shook his head. It was soothing to simply talk instead of just mentally exchange words.

“We also should learn about our bond first,” Klaus replied: “We cannot go into war with something we don’t understand. Therefore, we shall ask that same witch if we may visit her and explore that particular case before allowing anyone to come at us.”

Elijah was throwing a look at his younger brother: “You believe our bond is not fully integrated?”

“Not at all, given that we merely bonded mentally so far. I, as your Guide, fear that we do need one of those original, primal bonds. This is not something to be taken lightly. If you go feral, and paired with our nature as vampires and our heightened emotions, it is nearly impossible to draw you out unless a stable bond is achieved.” Klaus nodded more to himself than Elijah: “I feel that there is way more to our current situation than we are aware of right now.”

“You did mention you were agreeable to the bond being a sexual one, brother dear.” The older said: “Do you believe it to be the means of bonding us together?” Elijah was taking a seat opposite Klaus now, tired of anxiously walking up and down like he rarely ever did.

“I do. But first, we need to talk to Bonnie Bennett. The single one witch that we can trust,” Klaus agreed: “The other witches all changed sides and Divina is hiding, with our resurrected father.” The hybrid leant back in his chair now that Elijah was next to him in the courtyard.

“You don’t have to tell me what I fought against. I do know about our father before you did.” He focused on his brother briefly but then got drawn away to the sounds coming in from the streets. Cars, people, tourists with different languages, it was difficult for Elijah to focus. The familiar voice of Klaus drew him back.

“I know. It’s just hard to make out whose thought is whose so short after our initial bonding.” Klaus shrugged it off: “It will get better soon.”

Elijah straightened his cuffs: “Let’s hope that is the case.”

Klaus was quickly looking through the contacts on his phone: “Bonnie Bennett…”

“We should head over to see them now.”

“That without being announced is rather a bad idea,” Klaus reminded him: “Add they have their hands full with their Travelers and Vampire-witches.”

“But if we go there, they cannot refuse us as easily as with a phone call,” Elijah argued back: “Plus I’m certain Hayley and Marcel have everything under control for the day this will take.”

“Day? You plan on running there?”

Elijah looked at his brother with a frown: “Running there would be faster than the seven-hour-drive.”

“Or we simply charter a plane?” Klaus asked with a frown: “It is not like we can’t afford it and it serves better anyways.”

Elijah sighed: “Let’s just go now.”

“Without bonding first?” Klaus asked: “Are you sure we don’t want the full bond before engaging a witch in trials? It may very well change how we are reacting to witchcraft.”

Weighing his options and considering the outcome, Elijah nodded in agreement: “Add we should also know a few basics about my enhanced senses.”

“And my newfound inability to be cruel?” Niklaus frowned at him and mentally thought over his shields.

Elijah’s raised eyebrow was indicating how surprised he was: “I have not yet seen evidence that you are sparing your enemies. Is that inability to be cruel? Or merely the usefulness of letting someone live to be our ally? Are you certain of being incapable of harming anyone now?”

With a frustrated snarl, Klaus hurled one of his empty bottles, that had been standing on the table in front of them, into a wall, standing up in the process: “I don’t know! This is not how it was supposed to happen! We were hexed for a reason to hide those abilities.”

“We were protectors for the village first, Klaus. No matter our supernatural heritage. Kol and Finn always were able to use magic whereas we never could. Your ability as a Guide was supposed to protect you from anything.”

“Besides the werewolf curse!” Klaus yelled back: “The Guide-abilities would have hidden the werewolf curse. In turn it would also have protected us from mother’s spell.”

Elijah got what he was on about and leant back in his chair to easier focus his brother standing in front of him: “So the Guide-abilities are back now and should cure you of the werewolf heritage?”

“Think about it. A Guide is mentally strong and shielded. A werewolf is the complete opposite. It could hide the werewolf in me.”

“You want me to fight you until you start to snarl?” Elijah asked dryly: “The blood is in you in any way. The werewolf is another layer that protects you now.”

“I never wanted the wolf,” Niklaus whispered but Elijah picked it up easily: “Why should I want the beast? The monster?”

“It has been a part of you for a thousand years, Niklaus. I love you the way you are no matter the wolf,” Elijah tried to make Klaus understand but suddenly thought ahead.

The spirit guides. They were a connection to the supernatural powers around them. The ancient witches were talking to the witches now, influencing them. Pretty much like the spirit animals.

A spirit animal that could take any form. Anything.

“Klaus, what is your spirit animal?” Elijah asked suddenly: “I mean, yes, we’ve barely been online for more than a few hours again, or at least knowingly but my spirit animal used to be a hawk.”

“Mine was a wolf,” Klaus replied with a startled expression: “You mean-“

“That your wolf merely transferred its form,” Elijah nodded in controlled excitement but his sparkling eyes gave him away: “It is just as supernatural as anything else.”

Klaus was in a way surprised at the possibility and also conflicted. He had fought for the Wolves to be a stronger part. He had tried to make a new species that were like him. Now, with his abilities as a Guide, it might change all. It could very well be that he was losing part of his family yet again. 

But he had gained so much more. A mate. A perfect match to his Guide-status. Elijah, his family, his brother, his partner in past crimes and future. If he could still do crimes.

The mental part of a Guide was fragile. Yes, there were those Guides that in the past had killed as well but they were few and mentally instable. 

But Klaus was simply different. Elijah had always supported him and helped him in the past. Elijah was accepting him and helping him, saying it didn’t matter that he was their half-brother. They were family.

“We need to mediate.” Klaus agreed: “If we even still can.”

“I don’t think we lost that ability merely that it was subdued by the hex as well,” Elijah said: “We were able to have our mental shields in place as well.”

So they quickly gathered each other up and headed up to a small sitting room within the quieter corner of their home. The French Quarter was always noisy but they had soundproofed a few rooms. Being a vampire and half-werewolf with heightened senses was annoying in itself but now that Elijah was also a Sentinel? It would add much more noise and abilities to his existence.

Touching hands and settling down in front of each other was helping them meditate and reach the mental, spiritual world more easily. They were now on the same level as the witches of Lafayette Cemetery that they claimed were calling the shots.

Spirit Animals were guiding people. Not tricking them into murdering.

The blueish forest they were used to from when they were teenagers was still looking the same. They were used to it in a way but not that there were two of them there. They never before had shared the space with anyone and it was probably due to them being bonded now.

Surrounding them were the hawk of Elijah’s spirit animal as well as a beautiful wolf, the same wolf Klaus’ had turned into.

“You are wondering about me being there,” the wolf said and came closer: “I am in you as much as out here. The werewolf will always be a part of you but more subdued than before. Only when your Sentinel runs feral will you be able to access the legacy of your paternal line. It will add strength but not overwhelm you.”

The hawk was settling down on a tree and focusing on them: “I will guide you in the real world as well. Look out for me and I will show you the way out.”

That was the usual cryptic message they were used to from Spiritual Guides. Not the nice explanation of the Wolf.

They were dismissed from their Spirit Walk and looked at one another. Elijah in his crisp suit, shirt a light blue while Klaus’ shoulders were covered in his favorite leather jacket. They must look ridiculous together, sitting there on the floor on the carpet.

“Well, that explains my wolf-part,” Klaus signed: “How about we go for dinner?”

Elijah snorted at the phrasing but agreed. They needed some food before they could think of making any other plans: “We should head to the swamps or a forest around Mystic Falls to try our abilities.”

“You think I have abilities?” Klaus frowned: “Guides are supposed to only have their empathic abilities.”

“Yes and then there are the reported one or two that can use telekinesis,” Elijah replied: “The witches after all, use the same energy flowing through the earth that you will tap into.”

“Wouldn’t that be practical,” Klaus thought about it: “Well, let’s get some cloths for the trip. It’s probably going to be messy.”

“I’ll pack black then,” Elijah replied easily: “Oh and we should leave them at least a note.”

Klaus barely nodded and headed off in one direction, Elijah into another.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE note that the rating has gone up.

It was a few hours later that they were full of blood and had made it halfway to Mystic Falls. They were stopping in one of their owned houses. While they did let people reside in them, the land was theirs.

One of their secret places that was untraceable and hidden. They had used the means when they first ran from Mikael all those years ago and they knew that eventually they would find Rebekah and Hope in one of those places if they decided to look for them.

This particular house had always a guest bedroom that they had compelled the owners to never let anyone touch. It worked quite well that way so they always had a place to stop over and compelled the families as if they were long lost friends stopping by for a night.

Sleeping on the same bed was something they would get used to. They had shared space a few times but mostly Klaus’s paranoia and mistrust in anyone hadn’t let Elijah close. That they were sharing mental space now was going a long way to smooth over the issues of trust they had had all those years between them.

Elijah just hoped that it wouldn’t change Klaus’ for the worse yet again.

“Stop thinking,” Klaus’ sighed: “I know I’ll probably be different and slightly less likely to attack anyone for saying the wrong thing. It’s a Guide thing to always try and be placating everyone around them. I’ll try to kill one or two every now and then to keep my image.”

“Not funny,” Elijah replied while getting undressed. Klaus’ stare on his body wasn’t uncommon but not too usual either: “What?”

“I always forget how skinny you really are. Those suits hide that lean frame of yours,” Klaus answered: “It just is very confusing knowing what strength you have at your disposal.”

“The same you have.”

“Yes but genetics weren’t as kind to me.”

Elijah sighed: “I don’t look like father or mother. It’s probably from some grandparents that passed before we were old enough to get to know them. You’re perfectly fine and I admire that you don’t look skinny.”

“I look like wolf is what you mean.”

Elijah shook his head with a sigh: “Don’t put words in my mouth. I mean you are sturdy and have some shapes whereas I’m all angles. It’s something I as a Sentinel appreciate very much.”

Klaus nodded and took off his shirt. Elijah’s eyes were drawn to the black tattoo that was on Klaus’ skin. Has been there for less than fifty years. They could get rid of tattoos in a rather easy manner: skin the part off and let it heal.

It hurt, yes, but convenient.

“What?” Klaus eyebrows rose at Elijah’s stare.

“Your tattoo,” Elijah replied: “I always thought it was rather intriguing that you got the feather of a Hawk and hawks as a design without ever knowing what my spirit animal was. It made me wonder if you were my Guide.”

Klaus’ gutted look was rather telltale: “I got it when we headed different ways after New Orleans.”

Elijah nodded: “Maybe it was instinct.”

“I fell for the design one night when I was drawing it on a canvas. I was thinking about you and our latest disagreement. I wanted to have a part of you with me.”

“What, something easier than daggering me and dragging my coffin around?”

Klaus winced, then frowned and looked started: “I’ve never felt bad for it and now I do.”

“That’s the bond and your Guide-ability talking. We’ve discussed this before.” Elijah dismissed it.

Klaus fell silent for a while: “Do we even need to sleep?”

“You know we do. We tried it that one time and literally drank a whole village dry. One each,” Elijah reminded him: “We last slept a week ago so it is time we get some hours of sleep.”

**

When Elijah woke, the sun was streaming through the windows and he wondered briefly if it had just been over twelve hours that he and Klaus had bonded. It was a weird feeling to wake up next to Klaus when thinking that he was his brother. Then again, thinking brought him to think about the mental bond they were sharing and that definitely had changed and settled more deeply into their bones. It felt more natural now than it had before. Sleep obviously did some working through the strangeness.

Focusing on Klaus’ bare chest next to him was doing things. The Sentinel wanted to touch and smell and lick every inch of that body and get to know him. Now.

The big brother was content in watching Klaus sleep for a little while longer. The even rise and fall of the chest was soothing. Which surprised Elijah because they had stopped breathing in the sleep thousand years ago. Seeing it now on Klaus made him frown because they could live without breathing for a while and any other vampire that was sleeping didn’t have a heartbeat. Only when awake were their hearts pumping to get the blood flowing. It was as if the unconscious body function now required an awake brain. And wouldn’t doctors have a field day with that one.

“Stop looking at me like you want to eat me,” Klaus mumbled, barely awake now: “I can feel the bond and your desire.”

“It’s more than a desire. It’s an itch I need to scratch. I feel, jittery and jumpy seeing you like this and knowing you’re somehow unbonded.” Elijah replied: “It’s like I need you now.”

Klaus opened one eye to look at his half-brother and shrugged with one shoulder still buried in the pillows: “Then claim me. We talked about this before, I agree to this. We simply know there is more to our new relationship than sex.”

“This isn’t sex, Klaus, this is bonding. I might not be able to control how this goes down,” Elijah admitted and Klaus just knew what a huge loss of control that was and in turn what it meant for Elijah to not be in control. They were the same; control was the most important thing to have. The power to control others, the need to protect each other from any attack that was coming for them. 

Klaus opened his other eye then: “I trust you. Besides, I don’t see a white oak stake around so the damage you could do is minimal.”

“I believe we hurt each other enough over the course of a thousand years that I don’t want to involve any pain in this.” Elijah replied and a second later was literally on Klaus.

The Sentinel in his mind more or less took over that second. The need to touch Klaus, feel the skin, each scar from their mortal time, the tattoos that were still a raise in the skin, the hairs and bones, the callouses in the hands from painting that would fade away if Klaus didn’t paint every day.

The Smell of the wolf under the skin, faint but there. The smell of sweat that was barely covering the body of an immortal but laced with the tiniest amount of blood. The smells of their cloths and soaps that they were using. Every little trace of paint that was left on Klaus’ skin.

The Taste of the sweat-blood on Klaus’ body. The taste of pre-cum and musk, the tips of his fingers that tasted of the oil used for the paintings. And finally, Elijah’s eyes were streaking black, fangs coming out. Klaus knew what that meant. What was missing to cover the taste and smell: “Bite me.”

The Permission was given and the fangs sunk into his shoulder. Klaus was surprised at the feelings it stirred in him because every other bite hadn’t been laced with lust and love and pure ecstasy. It was like the bite was hotwired to his pulsing penis and Elijah moving on top of him wasn’t helping.

Being a vampire came with a stamina of being able to come more times than once or twice. And never before were they happier to be vampires. Elijah’s lips around him, Klaus’ lips around Elijah, then fingers exploring, leaving bruises that vanished in the blink of an eye and finally the mental and physical intrusion that happened at the same time.

Their mental shields connecting on a level that they hadn’t known existed before. The one shield that had been missing to archive a primal, original bond. The most secure bond they could ever form.

Biting in the throes of passion, just when their shared mental bond forced them to come together. The Bonding Bite. 

Calming down and taking breaths that were unnecessary, still touching skin, being close and tracing patterns on each other’s skin.

“The bite is not fading,” Elijah said with a frown and indicated the shoulder where he had bitten Klaus a second time, right when he had been coming.

Klaus’ fingers were trailing the neck of Elijah: “The same here.” He mulled it over: “That only means it’s our mating bite.”

“So is that a Sentinel-Guide thing or rather a vampire thing?” Elijah frowned and traced the lines his fangs had left. It felt weird to feel possessive of Klaus in that moment but seeing the teeth marks was settling something primal inside of him.

Flipping Elijah over, Klaus’ body covered his: “I don’t know but maybe even both? I’ve heard of vampire mates biting each other regularly but so have I heard from Sentinel and Guides that have a strong bond. I would just think that to some mysteries we won’t find an answer to unless some other original vampire with Sentinel and Guide abilities shows up.”

Taking that as an answer enough for him, Elijah let Klaus’ explore him now. He just had known that they would be equal in their relationship in all matters. 

**

Making their way to Mystic Falls was not taking them too long after they decided to leave bed. The approach they would be making this time around though would be different from their former ones. Klaus’ changes were already settling in but Elijah found that Klaus’ mental place was that of thousand years prior.

Loving someone and taking Klaus’ fear that Elijah would ever leave him alone was now gone. The loneliness that was making Klaus hard and paranoid and suspicious of everyone was subsiding with the knowledge of a mate that was as indestructible as he himself was. The mental ability to feel what the one standing in front of you was planning was also a cause in easing Klaus’ to everyone around him. In a way Elijah understood why their mother had hidden the heritage. It was a cruel plan in forming them to be the men they were.

Approaching the Salvatore House was going easily. They still had full access to the house and really, they should have learned to leave the house to someone human by now.

“Elijah,” Elena was surprised and turned around, seeing Klaus: “Klaus,” she said: “What are you doing here?”

A second later, Damon and Stefan were sped into the room, nearly on their guards after the chaos they had left the last time.

“Elena,” Elijah replied and wasn’t she a cruel reminder of the woman he had killed that was his friend: “Salvatore’s.”

Klaus merely rolled his eyes: “Yes, enough with the small talk. We’re here because we have a favor to ask you and Bonnie.” The suspicion was clear as day for the empath and Klaus sighed: “Just for your information, my mental abilities have gifted me with an empathic sense that borders close to mind reading.”

“Wait, what?” Elena asked in surprise: “How is that possible?”

“What she said,” Damon echoed in.

Elijah glared at his brother before focusing back on the others: “Maybe if we could call Bonnie and whomever you seem to need as protection, we would only have to do this once?”

So it came that Damon, Stefan and Elena were settling down in the living room with them and having a drink while Caroline, Alaric, Tyler and Bonnie arrived. Wasn’t that a nice ensemble.

After greetings and hateful words were out of the way, Bonnie asked them plainly: “What do you need me for?”

“First, we are aware of the toll the last few months have taken on you. We are sorry this happened to you,” Elijah said and Klaus added: “Vampires with witchcraft are one thing and we might just be the solution to your problems.”

“How so?”

Elijah took over: “We need to start back a thousand years ago when we were trained as a Sentinel and Guide.” The gaps around the room were only brief but the startled look of the occupants was rather telling: “We also had those abilities for a while.” Another round of big eyes: “And while we believed to have killed our parents, unluckily they are back.”

“What? We thought they were dead for good!” Caroline proclaimed.

“As did we,” Klaus added: “But a spell here and there brought them back and our parents are still after us and want to kill us.”

“Back to the topic,” Elijah interrupted: “Our lovely mother decided to hide our abilities as a Sentinel and a Guide. Seeing as you know that Sentinel and Guides are on the lookout for supernatural threats and except from witchcraft, it was necessary to hide the heritage. I still don’t quite know how she managed it, seeing we were excepted from magic back then, but she succeeded and then casted the vampire spell on us.”

Klaus took over: “Now with her return and her attempt to kill us, she probably accidentally cast the reverse of the spell.” 

It was Bonnie who continued: “So she made you a Sentinel and a Guide again?”

“That she did. Probably in an attempt to weaken us or is completely unaware of this,” Klaus said: “As a result, Elijah and I are now in another power and probably immune to spells of any kind.”

“Hence our visit to you. We would ask of you to help us try to find out how far our immunity to witchcraft goes and as a trade offer to help you with your mother’s strange family.” Elijah offered.

“Wait, but as a Sentinel and a Guide your abilities would only protect you to some extent. We all know that you need a full Sentinel and Guide Bond to be protected to the supernatural.” Stefan said calmly.

Klaus sighed: “Have you ever wondered where the vampires mate for life comes from? The fairy tale no one of us believed because it came from a random place in literature? While we can certainly love more than once and love deeply, there is only one mate out there.”

They all ignored the look Elena sent Damon, before Bonnie frowned: “So you say that like werewolves with a mate, and vampires with a mate, all supernatural beings have a mate?”

“The yin and yang,” Alaric added: “So with this mate-thing come the powers to be equal and balanced. Like the marriage for werewolves who then share abilities.”

“Exactly,” Klaus nodded: “When our mother casted the spell to hide our heritage of a Sentinel and Guide…”

“She robbed you of your one true mate that would have been born close to you in order to balance you,” Tyler finished: “Oh this is really not fair.”

Elijah and Klaus briefly looked at another and it was clear that a silent conversation, or rather, fight, was going on between the two men. It was Klaus who apparently lost because he continued: “Unluckily to fate, I am the Guide.”

“No way!” Caroline nearly yelled and Elijah winced a bit at the volume.

“Yes, really,” Klaus agreed: “Hence you will find that I might change my behavior.”

“Well, it can only get better, right?” Damon asked and got a glare in return.

Taking another drink, Elijah passed another one to Klaus as well: “You may continue.”

“Thanks a lot, brother,” Klaus replied with fake hatred: “What Elijah means is, that luckily, we are now a fully bonded pair.”

The silence in the room would have been amusing if it weren’t a rather serious topic. And the fact that every single person in the room knew that those pair bonds came with sex. At least ninety-five percent of the time. Hence the shocked silence. Bonnie found her voice first: “So the bond is an Original Bond?”

“Yes,” Elijah said: “Which is another miracle that we could fully bond due to our vampire and half-werewolf nature. So we believe that by all means, we are immune to most hexes and powers. Which of course we would need to put to a test before facing our mother who wants to kill us and essentially, you four.”

Bonnie nodded and sighed: “So we try the basics first,” she said: “I try to mentally stop you or lock you in a room. Then we’ll continue with other means of spells and blood rituals. If those won’t work, I doubt any other will. I will also try to disable your sunlight rings to make sure and we should test a few things like your immunity to mind control and powerful ancestral magic.”

“What do you need from us?” Damon asked with a frown.

Klaus shrugged: “Maybe trigger us into going feral, maybe stake us.”

“What? No way! You could kill us without meaning to.” Caroline voiced: “This is stupid. Not to mention staking you?”

“Fine, then how about leaning to deal with our senses? Or rather, Elijah’s senses and my mental abilities? The staking is important to know if we both fall victim to a dagger given our tight bond.”

They got an agreeing nod from Alaric at least.

“What mental abilities are we talking about?” Stefan asked interested.

“Besides the mental shields and me influencing people with the empathic gift? Maybe telekinesis since it is a witchcraft.”

“So this whole thing made you even more powerful,” Elena sighed: “Wonderful.”

“You tend to forget, Ms Gilbert that your life depends on us,” Elijah said: “And we always had the abilities to cause you harm. Yes, the stake is still around and dangerous to us but we will need the stake to kill our father.”

“About that, any other siblings that returned?” Damon asked with a frown.

“Probably but we haven’t seen them yet. Or we don’t know about them. They tend to change their bodies and simply possess another one.” Klaus answered: “I saw our mother in a body and she changed while Elijah had a run in with our father. But what also should be a case is that we are stronger for our new abilities now. Or at least Elijah will be.”

“This is so weird,” Caroline said and stood to pace the room: “If you are immune to the witchcraft?”

“We can easily approach and kill those vampires that are giving you a hard trouble,” Klaus smirked: “I know you probably don’t want to kill your mother but I am afraid there is not an easy solution to this.”

Damon and Stefan shared a look: “And Enzo is a pain in the ass. But yes, our mother might just be gone for good.”

“Let’s test this,” Bonnie said and tried to force Elijah and Klaus into a pain like state. 

Elijah frowned for a moment and shared a look with his brother who nodded: “I can feel the magic gathering around us.”

“Now I also know why we have mental shields. There is an entire layer that simply protects us from magic.” Klaus said.

Bonnie was still focusing. When nothing happened she looked surprised: “Okay, that rules out me mentally forcing you away or keeping you away from me. Next I’d like to try this with a bit of your blood.”

“Wait, so if your shields are down, you could be moved?” Elena asked interested.

“We should try that,” Klaus nodded and mentally dropped a shield: “Bonnie?”

Bonnie tried again and this time got a reaction from Klaus but Elijah’s shield was pushing her powers out a second later. 

“Good to know that Elijah can protect me.” Klaus said relieved. Bonnie then passed them both a dagger and a bowl.

Both Klaus and Elijah nicked their skins and gave Bonnie a few drops of their blood with which she tried to make a more complex spell in keeping them away from her person. She shook her head: “No response there.”

“Then let’s reason that the result would be the same if our shields are down,” Elijah said but lowered a mental shield and the result was instantaneous. This time Klaus’ mental shield protected him.

“Oh this is at least one advantage. The second it takes for the witch to realize it isn’t working is the second we have them killed,” Klaus said and Elijah nodded in agreement: “If you can kill.”

“I am a monster. I won’t let the empathic weight of killing someone hinder me of doing what needs to be done.” Klaus replied: “It might just not just be for fun anymore.”

“This isn’t looking good. Who says we won’t anger you in the future and you just kill us?” Tyler asked and focused on Klaus more than Elijah.

Caroline shook her head: “Maybe the fact that they’re a Sentinel and a Guide and as per their nature they are protectors first? I think this is a good thing and will change them to protect us since we are basically their tribe. Klaus’ werewolf heritage will protect you just as much.”

“And we’re essentially their children,” Damon said and when all eyes turned to him he frowned and shrugged it off.

Elijah nodded: “We also have no means to test lethal spells since we don’t want a spell to bounce back to Bonnie.”

“I could cast a powerful killing spell and shield myself. Everyone else here has either a ring or is supernatural.” She said and prepared to do so.

The results though, were not promising for their enemies. Bonnie gave up after some time and they agreed to move to the next testing stage.

Barricading them in a room wasn’t working. Barricading them in a whole house with a layer was working on the other hand. It was a very complex spell so that a witch couldn’t simply cast it and even then Elijah and Klaus could still make themselves known to the outside. Which bore the question if they needed an invitation to enter a home.

Letting Caroline put a dagger in Klaus’ chest was a rather hard test for Elijah. While nothing happened in reverse to him, the mental shields they were sharing failed and Elijah was running feral a second later, neatly snapping Caroline’s neck in response. Thankfully, not using a stake or ripping her heart out.

Taking the stake out, Klaus woke in an instant with his werewolf eyes glowing. A second later Klaus’ mental senses caught on that no one in the room wanted to seriously harm them and as a result he calmed down from one second to the next, stepping between Elijah and his next victim, slowly bringing him down from his feral response.

When Caroline was awake again, she sighed: “Well I guess that was predictable.”

Elijah nodded his apology at her: “I knew you were pack though. Like, family I would say. While I was mad at you, killing you was out of the question.”

“Good, so the moral compass is there,” Klaus replied dryly: “Same with me.”

“Your empathy of them influenced me. While I was going to eliminate a threat close by, I wouldn’t have killed them and accepted them as part pack.” 

They tested the sunlight rings next. While Klaus’ werewolf genes were protecting him, he felt slightly uncomfortable. Elijah on the other hand, still started smoking and burning, even if it wouldn’t be lethal.

Next came the mind-altering spells. Possession like the Travelers favored. Like Klaus had used. Nothing happened. Their shields were protecting them. The same with influencing them and not even using vervain could alter this though they were still weakened by vervain. Not that it mattered much because Elijah could smell the stuff three miles against the winds now.

“Is anyone else weirded out by the fact that there is another slightly lesser method of subduing them now?” Tyler asked eventually and focused on the old vampires: “Not that I want to but you tend to react certain ways that aren’t too good for us.”

Bonnie shrugged before the Originals could answer: “They still have the White Oak Stake around and every being and power has a counter-spell or energy. We just don’t know what it is yet. We might never know but essentially killing them is off the table.”

“One witch, Divina, is trying to unhook me from the bloodline so she can kill me without killing off her friends as well,” Klaus said simply: “Any chance for that?”

“No. It would basically mean changing your DNA and that isn’t possible. Transferring you to another body? Yes, well not in your current state but essentially, yes. The magic of your blood is in the vampires and it cannot continue without you. In a way, every Vampire that is your child by blood is essentially drawing energy through you. Removing you, those energies will not be accessible.” Bonnie explained: “This is as far as I have been told anyways.”

Damon rolled his eyes: “So stopping the evil witch from doing that is a good idea. She might accidentally cut off our energies.”

Klaus nodded while Elijah frowned but the younger brother knew that the other held no love for her. While he had had an agreement with her once, this was over now. Divina had essentially done everything to bring Mikael back and in turn make sure they would be killed. All bets were off now.

“Can we continue to the physical training now?” Elena asked and started to move around: “Maybe testing the senses and mental ability?”

“What she said,” Caroline replied: “Without me. I’m done dying again today.”

Said, done. They practiced Elijah’s senses and range which was further than Klaus’ or Tyler’s senses were reaching. The mental shields Elijah and Klaus had, were also a good indicator of someone supernatural approaching and Bonnie testing the witchcraft indicated a ten-mile radius, as were the remaining senses of Elijah.

Speed and strength hadn’t changed though. 

After a long day of training, they settled back down and took out their bags of blood. While they all took their drinks, Elijah was wrinkling his nose in disgust at the artificial smell those bags had and the overall smell of blood. Klaus noticed and was next to his brother quickly: “Dial down your senses of smell and taste. I know this isn’t ideal but better than nothing. You will get used to this again.”

Elijah did as advised before taking a sip. It was doing him good, drinking some blood to get his strength back up and he puzzled over the fact that his bloodlust was hindered by his Sentinel abilities. If they had known that, maybe a few villages between back then and now could have been spared.

The tests were finished. They could move to war now. They could help their acquaintances of Mystic Falls to get rid of their most violent threat. After Kai had helped the vampire-witches, it was now time that they got help from the Originals.

Witches and vampire blood wasn’t supposed to mix. It was a rare thing and too powerful. Maybe even as powerful as they themselves were.

“Ever since Enzo turned it off, he’s become a burden. Bodies dropping left and right for one,” Alaric said and Klaus briefly wondered about what had happened to him to be human now. But that were questions for later. They hadn’t had the time to catch up on all gossip after all.

Damon took a sip of his drink: “We can get rid of him ourselves. Unless he still has the protection of the vampitches.”

The eye roll of the new term was coming from all of them and Stefan actually shook his head in disappointment at his brother: “They are six. The Heretics, all of the Gemini Coven.”

“Then we shall simply eliminate them for you,” Elijah said and suddenly stood: “Enzo is on his way here. He just killed some random driver on the road leading here.”

Klaus stood beside him a second later: “Your senses?”

I’m just a bit nauseated by the sounds and the killing. It’s something I will get used to again,” Elijah said and ignored the others in the room who were frowning at him at those words.

Showing their vulnerability to others wasn’t their strong suit but necessary for now. It was then that Enzo appeared, stepping right into the room and frowning at Niklaus and Elijah: “Who are you?”

“Oh, do not mind us, we are just from out of town and old friends,” Klaus replied with his usual smirk and a slight threat in his voice: “Nothing of your concern.”

Enzo looked at the others, one after the other, before taking his cue from Damon who was relaxed in his chair: “Your mother requests to see you.”

“She made it clear she doesn’t want anything to do with us,” Stefan replied and Damon pointed his glass and a finger at his brother in agreement.

“Do you mind telling where this meeting is to be taking place?” Elijah asked and stepped slightly in front of Niklaus. The other man barely suppressed an eye roll at the big brother protector antics before he remembered that Elijah would be protective of him due to the Guide thing. Always, Forever.

Enzo seemed to look for something but Elijah stepped closer to the other vampire and looked him square in the eye: “Tell me where the meeting will take place and what Lillian’s plan is.”

Never to have been compelled before, Enzo replied: “At the Grill. She has the whole place under lock down and plans to imprison every vampire that steps foot in there. The Heretics will then kill them.”

“You will forget you saw us and report back that the meeting will be taking place. You didn’t see anyone besides Stefan and Damon here.” Elijah continued and Enzo sped away.

Klaus looked about the room: “Plan?”

“We will make sure they won’t come out of there,” Bonnie said simply: “I know I will have to be casting a stronger spell so they won’t come out but it is possible if they are distracted enough. Of course we cannot send anyone else in there.”

“You can send me,” Alaric said and pointed to his ring that he had gotten back from Matt. 

Klaus shook his head: “We don’t need anyone else in there. If Elijah were to run feral, my empathic abilities might not be able to differentiate you attacking them from them attacking us.”

“Then we will set up the perimeter around the Grill and send people away,” Elena said while Caroline was already getting on her feet: “And make sure they don’t come out.”

Together they made their way to the Grill. Elijah and Klaus both had been in it enough times to know the layout. Add the fact that they were nearly a hundred percent sure that the Heretics had never crossed paths with them.

Casually entering the Grill was one thing. Not being recognized by Lorenzo another while Lily was looking at them with surprise and curiosity.

“I do believe we were not the ones you expected,” Elijah said simply while Klaus closed the door behind him and took of his leather jacket. Elijah in the meantime was taking of his good suit-jacket.

“No, I was expecting my sons. Who are you?” she asked in surprise and Enzo was getting up with her to be quicker in case it was needed.

“We are friends of your son’s and were asked to see you,” Klaus replied: “Your witch friends are where?”

Lily seemed to try to figure them out but Klaus’ mental ability was reading her easily and he intercepted her before she could speed away: “Now, now, why would you leave?”

“Who are you?”

Elijah, from a few feet further back, looked to where he knew some witches were hiding, singling them out for Klaus to also see behind their illusions. Huh, apparently they couldn’t hide in another dimension due to his Sentinel abilities. Interesting.

“I believe some of us call us the Originals,” Klaus said with a feral smirk: “Of course, that would come from the fact that every single vampire originates from our bloodlines.”

“Don’t forget to mention that the vampires sired by Kol’s and Finn’s bloodlines died out with them,” Elijah pointed out: “So you are pretty likely one of our bloodlines.”

“No, you are but a myth!” Lily said and Enzo looked from one to the other: “You’re Klaus,” he said and pointed at Elijah: “Your name proceeds you.”

“Oh, sorry, you’ve got the wrong one,” Elijah replied and looked Lily dead in the eyes: “Now, what can we do for you and why were you sending for your sons?”

“I wanted to kill them,” Lily replied with a startled gasp.

“Oh right, we’re able to compel you,” Klaus smirked.

“Why do mothers always want to kill their sons when they become someone they didn’t expect?” Elijah asked rhetorically and when Enzo was coming at him, simply took his heart in his hand, waiting for the other man to realize what a situation he was in.

Surprisingly, Elijah couldn’t yet detect any witchcraft being used besides the laughable attempt to keep them in the building. Enzo’s eyes widened and Elijah focused on the man: “You slaughtered a man on the streets. I know you have better control than this and ignoring the laws of our society doesn’t do you any favors.”

“Laws? What laws?” the man replied.

Klaus tsked him: “The law not to draw attention to our existence of course! By leaving the body in the street you did just that!”

The magic started to gather around them and Elijah’s focus turned to the one invisible witch that was casting. Klaus picked up the movement and while Elijah was withdrawing his hand from Enzo’s body, heart included, Klaus was on the first invisible witch and had her heart out as well. 

Elijah was moving from one place to the next, quicker than Lily would be able to focus on. The perks of being an Original.

When around her all six members of her family fell to the floor, she looked at them, hatred in her eyes and Elijah felt the magical attempt to keep them away from her.

Like Klaus had predicted, the one second it took her to realize they weren’t affected was the one second Klaus’ hand was in her chest, killing her instantly.

The doors opened not a few seconds later and Damon, followed by Stefan came in: “Uh, nice clean up job, thanks.”

Though the comment was light and sarcastic, Klaus could feel the emotional toll it was taking on the brothers of seeing their mother dead on the ground. The Mikaelsons could relate.

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Heading back to New Orleans was not taking long then. They had to go back, the situation with the witches and werewolves were rather peculiar. Hayley and Marcel were doing good jobs but the problems were in the Guerrera werewolves and their stolen rings.

Klaus’ weakness once a month might be cured with the Sentinel ability now. Not that it mattered given that they had to act in two days’ time to get the rings back.

They would destroy the rings once and for all.

Elijah’s master in trickery was easy. Taking over the homes of the Guerrera’s and giving it to the public. Well, compelling someone to make the house public on record so Elijah would be able to enter and get the rings easy as pie.

That was also the proof that Elijah needed for himself to kill others. To kill and not get sickened by blood and gore.

Now, Klaus needed to test the same. It was one thing to kill a vampire-witch, another to either kill vampires or werewolves.

What happened next, was rather unsurprising but still not completely off their charts. That Klaus would go after Divina, and Mikael, was one thing. Elijah had tried stopping him but unfortunately, he had to make some other plans. When Klaus was told of the danger Elijah would be in, he turned around and headed back. Divina would be there another time but Elijah facing werewolves alone so shortly after they bonded?

Which was the problem. Trying to save kids was basically Elijah’s downfall. Not because his senses weren’t working or overwhelming him, no, because their mother had yet again shown up and while she was using witchcraft on him, Finn approached him from the back, shooting a dagger at his heart before coming close enough to fight him. Elijah had then turned to fight Finn off and when Esther had realized her magic wasn’t working on Elijah, she had snapped his neck from behind.

So when Elijah had come to, he was facing their mother. She was trying to get into his head but luckily enough, witchcraft was not helping her. Her words were only reaching him to a certain point.

His mental shields were up and while she hadn’t bewitched him in any kind, even though Elijah could tell there was the attempt of a blood voodoo ritual, the chains that were holding him up were enchanted. So much for luck there.

“Why can’t I show you your errors? Why is your mind guarded?” she frowned at him and tried another spell. 

“Save your powers, Mother. I happen to be a Sentinel,” Elijah chuckled: “Happily bonded at that.”

“How can you be even more of an abomination? The powers that be should never allow for you to be a Sentinel and a vampire!” she replied: “Who bewitched you to give you your heritage back that I was seeking to hide?”

Elijah focused on her with a smirk: “You did. By bringing back the original nature of my brothers Kol and Finn, you undid the spell protecting me from my heritage. I am hereby the Sentinel, the Protector of the vampires.”

“No! That is impossible!” she replied and tried another spell: “Who is your bonded!?”

Elijah kept quiet. It wouldn’t do them any good if Klaus was found out like this and Elijah would never betray his Guide, much less his younger brother: “Pry all you want, I will never tell you.”

Finn’s appearance next to Elijah was making him frown. He was their older brother, yes, but he certainly never acted like it. Maybe because he had seen what had happened to Freya. Maybe because he was too much ahead age-wise for them to really connect. After all, Finn was four years older than them and the span between Elijah and Hendrik was just about five years while Klaus, Rebekah and Kol tied them closely together.

“Find that Hayley-hybrid he is so fond of,” Esther said to Finn and shooed the other away. She then turned back to Elijah: “You will soon see the errors of your being. The fact that you are a Sentinel further proves that you never should be a vampire and I will place you in a witch’s body.”

“Thanks, I’ll take a pass,” Elijah replied: “You should leave while you still can.”

Esther laughed and Finn shook his head in amusement. Elijah barely twitched an eyebrow. They were not interested in his abilities or his wants. They were literally abusing him and in a way trying to brainwash him. Elijah closed his eyes briefly and sought out his mental shields. Letting Klaus know he was okay was his top priority and thankfully no witch had ever found a spell to break or interrupt the shield of a bonded pair.

Even when Klaus had been daggered at their trial run, had Elijah felt the shields, barely but there and existing.

**

“Mother has Elijah,” Klaus said and focused on Hayley and Marcel where he had been talking to them: “I will see that I can get him back.”

“You can’t do this alone!” Hayley reminded him: “You need someone to help you track him down and disable Esther’s spell that she will have.”

“Trust me, I have my own means to find my mother. You just stay safe,” Klaus smiled at her and frowned for a second: “Do we need to talk to the werewolves again?”

“Might not hurt but if Elijah has been taken, we should focus on this first. Oliver hasn’t been heard from since then either but I don’t think they plan on killing him like they do with Elijah.” Hayley reasoned.

“Elijah is fine,” Klaus sighed and nudged Elijah back through the bond: “I will focus on the search first. You can talk to them. We need to stop their alliance with Mother.”

Hayley frowned but didn’t argue while Marcel looked on. Klaus then headed out to to the cemetery while following Hayley with her senses for a few minutes. Not finding anything there, he abandoned that plan and headed out to the house that was slowly being rebuilt after the fire. The construction was on a pause so no one would be around while Klaus was digging up the coffin with Esther’s remains.

Seeing Finn there wasn’t as big as a surprise but having to agree to talk to her was seriously not done from amusement. He agreed, anything to get Elijah back.

“I want for you to return to our family,” she whispered and Klaus rolled his eyes. The whole arguments all over again. Killing them to get them into new bodies like nature had intended. Wrong. They were a Guide and a Sentinel, further away from the magic than being just a human.

“You do realize that we are a Sentinel and a Guide now? We were never meant to be witches,” Klaus replied: “You did this to us and now you have to live with it. We don’t want to change anything.”

Esther tried to mentally trick him but his shields were strong. Klaus frowned at her but she used words: “It is unnatural. Your Sentinel has long since died and will always be human. You would outlive your match again and again.”

“You should have considered that before robbing me of my mate and Sentinel,” Klaus replied: “I don’t mind it now.”

Esther was trying another spell on Klaus then. Whatever it was, it wasn’t working and bouncing back off the shields of the pair bond. Esther stumbled under the weight of the curse flying back to her: “What have you done?”

“Nothing? You do know that spelling on a Guide is deflecting the spell,” Klaus laughed and a second later was hit by the smell of herbs being burnt.

Damn it. While spells were one thing to influence them, burning herbs and in this case vervain was still causing hallucinations. Klaus hadn’t thought that far ahead and Esther’s voice was influencing a bit.

“Your father and I never wanted this for you.”

“No, Mikael was just beating on me for fun while my real father ignored me,” Klaus replied and shook his head to clear it. The herbs were affecting his vampire nose. Damn it!

Nevertheless, Klaus quickly sped away, knowing where Esther had hidden Elijah now. While she had used a spell to cloak Elijah, it hadn’t worked as designed. Klaus had felt Elijah on the Lafayette Cemetery but had been unable to find him. Now he knew why. The vervain was causing him to run in circles.

Stumbling across his father was the least of what Klaus had expected. A figment of his imagination perhaps. Maybe Esther’s words and a leftover of her manipulation and her speaking of him.

“I’m real,” Ansel replied, looking at him in a certain way that made Klaus’ mad. This wasn’t what he had wanted. Meeting his real father again, the what-if questions floating in his mind like a poison, introduced by Esther’s words…

“You may be real but you don’t mean anything to me,” Klaus replied and knew for certain that this was the truth. That man was nothing more than his biological father. A figment of his imagination and hopes when he had been younger.

But now, now he had Elijah. A reminder of what they had all taken from them, a reminder that Klaus had been left by his real father who had known about him.

 

**

The second time Klaus was looking, he saw a Hawk. His Sentinel’s Hawk, flying overhead him and circulating until Klaus noticed him and then flying towards the Lafayette Cemetery where Klaus followed the hawk around. At the entrance of one particular outstanding tomb, the hawk was settling down and looking at him and indicating the entrance opposite him with a wing. Klaus reached out and stroked the soft feathers before the bird disappeared back into the spirit world. 

When he finally reached Elijah, strung up on the chains, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The blood staining his light blue shirt was sickening. The amount of blood Esther had drained him from was enough to make him weak enough for any attack but a mental one.

Klaus rushed to his brother’s side, touching his cheek carefully and tentatively, hoping to get a reaction. The mental shields around them were vibrant and recognizing him, responding to him in a positive way but Elijah didn’t even drink the drops of blood offered to him by Klaus.

Trying to get into his Sentinel’s head was another try that failed. He couldn’t reach Elijah through this either and it showed.

Esther, coming up behind him laughed like a mad witch she actually was: “He will wake up when he has remembered all there is, all that I want him to.”

Klaus’ brain went through a series of spells and thing she could have done and he saw red. Grabbing her by the throat and slamming up the wall and snarling at her. She barely twitched and gave up trying to do anything but gasp for breath.

“What did you do to him?” Klaus hissed angrily and ignored Finn trying to come at him.

Finn, he kept away from him with his other hand, ignoring Esther’s worried glance: “Elijah will wake up when he is ready and his choices will be his alone.”

Klaus snarled at her and threw her away carelessly. His top priority was his Sentinel and brother now, nothing else mattered and he may need to ask Esther later what she has done so he left her and Finn.

Easily picking up Elijah and carrying him out of the hell of a mausoleum was an easy task. They were not disturbed and had a clear pathway. The things done to Elijah were telltale and Klaus hated that they had separated to begin with. Yes, they were powerful beings but it showed that they were also vulnerable when alone.

Esther’s spell work was unique and foreign as much as it was a steady comfort from when he was a kid. Not so much now. Now those energies had turned against him and what was his. Attacking his soulmate, the Sentinel to his Guide, that was unforgivable.

Whatever that witch had done, Klaus would find a way to get his Sentinel back. Even if he had to kill her. Again.

 

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update but as usual RL happens.

Laying Elijah down on their bed, Klaus sighed and tried to mentally reach him. They hadn’t tried it yet and given their mental shields, weren’t quite sure that they could use the vampire power to share their mind space. Theoretically, the shared mind wasn’t all too different from a spirit walk.

In theory.

Klaus cursed in quite a few languages before he gave up trying to enter Elijah’s mind. It probably was something blocking him. A thought crossed his mind and Klaus had long since learned to always trust his instincts.

Ignoring Hayley coming up behind them, he tore the shirt to pieces until he could see the dark angry lines of magic and herbs running under Elijah’s skin. With a frown, Klaus inspected the wound.

“What is it?” Hayley asked.

“Something my mother used on us when we were kids and when father needed to sleep,” Klaus explained and touched Elijah’s pale skin: “I’ll be looking for the herbs I need to undo this magic. Please stay with my brother.”

“Sure, it’s not like I have nothing else to do,” she rolled her eyes.

Klaus ignored her. She was by all means his pack but she wasn’t as important as Elijah. Yes, he would forever protect her and value her but she simply wasn’t his mate. The mother of his child, yes, something Elijah couldn’t ever give him but Elijah’s Sentinel responsibility was exceeding Hayley and their bond.

Stalking away and into the Bayou, Klaus was looking for what he remembered. Thousand years, more than thousand different vegetation and plants. He was only eighty-percent certain his memory served him right.

Having Ansel back on his heels wasn’t fun but he could see the point in using Ansel’s knowledge. He needed to get back to Elijah before whatever spell their mother had used was eating him up from the inside.

“So, why do you need this plant?” his father asked him and by all means, this man wanted to talk about plants and his reasons instead of why he wasn’t a good father back when?

“I need to save my brother,” Klaus replied: “Loyalty to the Family. Something you cannot understand.”

“I understand and I am sorry I wasn’t there when you were little,” Ansel said: “But your mother didn’t let me be close.”

“Instead of doing as she wished, you could have fought her. You could have told me about the curse and protected me. You were no better than my real father.” Klaus replied angrily and looked under one bush for the plant. No luck.

“Your mother wants to help your brother, not harm him,” Ansel said and with every word, Klaus’ paranoia played up. All he heard was his mother’s motives and interest to get him separated form Elijah. Now that he had found his Sentinel, his mate, they wanted to separate them, make them suffer even more.

Klaus turned to look at Ansel: “Elijah is a Sentinel.”

The surprised eyebrow and frown showed that his biological sperm donor wasn’t clueless: “Stripping him of his powers is nearly impossible, I take it?”

“Not for the lack of trying. They separated us once, they won’t do this again,” Klaus nearly yelled.

Ansel indicated a plant right before the words had settled in: “There it is.” He did a double-take: “Elijah is your Sentinel?”

“And my mate,” Klaus replied: “Which can be a separate person but not this time.”

Ansel’s shocked face was not as important as Klaus’ task to get the plant so he didn’t quite see any other reaction than surprise. His father’s voice was steady: “Being a wolf and a Guide is nearly impossible. It is against the nature of a Guide to kill. Yet, here you are and plotting murders, dropping bodies. Esther is right, you both need to be turned back.”

Carefully pocketing the plant, Klaus turned slowly before speeding towards his father, having a hand in his chest not a second later: “And this is why you cannot live. You mean harm to my Sentinel and nothing ever will be more important than him ever again.”

Klaus of course knew that Hope was maybe just as important but the tricky thing was that Elijah and Klaus’ life may just be bound together now.

Without another word, Klaus took his hand back and walked away, dropping the heart carelessly to the grass. After all, his father had done the same to his heart.

**

Returning to Elijah and preparing a paste of his own blood and the crushed leaves of the plant, Klaus ignored Marcel and Hayley being around and supervising them, if not keeping watch that no werewolves came running in to interrupt them. They were still on uneven feet with the wolves and while Klaus’ intent was to deal with this as well, right now wasn’t the time but that didn’t mean Esther was giving them the time they needed to fully heal.

Ripping the skin open and seeing the blood well out dark and laced with the herbs, Klaus smeared his paste on top and focused on his brother and his mental shields. It took not even a full second for Klaus to be there with Elijah in the dream-space.

What he saw wasn’t promising. Elijah’s younger self was standing opposite the now-Elijah and prepared to fight even if Elijah was talking to the younger self that he better not be afraid of what he would become.

Klaus frown was a serious one. He knew of Esther’s experiments and what this basically entitled. This was another means to try to get baby-Elijah back, not the strong, mastermind that his brother now was.

He saw the younger self struck at his Sentinel and Klaus’ speed here was the same as outside in the real world so that the deadly hit was piercing the flesh of Klaus’ right shoulder instead of Elijah’s heart.

“Klaus!” Elijah called out, not having realized he was in his mind as well now and now injured.

“Lijah, you need to find a balance with him,” Klaus said quickly: “Mother’s spell.”

Elijah’s face told him that the other vampire had understood the meaning: “You?”

“Most likely be dismissed from your mind soon. Though I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet but that might be due to the shields and you wanting to keep me close.”

The older was looking at the younger version, looking at them in horror: “You’re my brother Klaus.”

“That I am, young-Elijah.” Klaus replied with a smirk and stood up straight though his wound was not healing in this dream-state.

“You’re sharing shields?”

Elijah rolled his eyes: “He’s our Guide. I know the past cannot be changed and you are me, but we need to find a balance. Without me you’d be lost.”

“Then why is this happening?”

“Mother’s games,” Elijah said: “Mikael’s hatred for Klaus.”

The last words were the right ones because Elijah’s younger version was lowering the weapon: “Protecting him.”

“Yes,” Elijah replied and Klaus was essentially dismissed and only saw both Elijah-forms reaching out for one another to merge.

Klaus smiled brightly when he came back to himself. The shoulder was healing now while Hayley and Marcel had already fussed over his still form. Esther had lost. Merging one’s selves was always the only way to come out the same way you went in.

Klaus and Elijah 3, Esther 0.

Sitting up with a startled gasp, Elijah focused on the occupants in the room but Klaus knew what was up and quickly offered him his neck: “You need blood.”

Without looking at Hayley or Marcel in the background, Elijah quickly but carefully bit into Klaus’ neck, drinking the blood. It was enough to get him strength back to fight in case it was needed but not enough to weaken Klaus just yet.

“What happened?” Elijah asked a few seconds later, focusing on Hayley but not speaking to her. Klaus rolled his eyes at his brother’s stupid antics to stay away from her just because she was immortal and changed now.

Hayley begun: “You were taken and brought to your mother apparently and we couldn’t find you right away.”

“Finn and Esther couldn’t stay away though,” Klaus continued: “And I had a nice chat with mother and told her we were online. Nothing more.”

Elijah caught the catch with a nod and Hayley huffed: “I wanted to go after you as well but Klaus thought it more important to talk to the werewolves again.”

“Good, we need them to be on our side and not on Esther’s simply because she offered them moonlight rings,” Elijah agreed: “I wasn’t as important.”

Klaus continued: “Getting you back, I found you under mother’s spell. The only way we can be spelled, apparently, is by those herbs under the skin. But I am not certain how much it will influence us in any case.”

“You went to get the plant?”

“Oh yes and I met my biological father, to put it to modern terms. He was interested in chatting about anything but our relationship it seemed and with too much knowledge I had to kill him.”

“Good,” Elijah nodded. He understood Klaus’ motivations and they were logical and not out on a whim.

“Good?” Hayley interrupted upset: “He killed his father whom we could have asked quite a lot of things about our werewolf heritage and you say good?”

“What Elijah means is that we don’t need more enemies with knowledge about us and eventually siding with our mother,” Klaus replied: “We have quite enough of those already.”

Elijah focused on his brother and used sign language to say: “Now we know you can kill.” The reference to Klaus’ Guide status wasn’t needed but the frown from Marcel and Hayley was telltale that they didn’t want them to have secrets. Klaus’ mental shields also portrayed the fact.

It came in handy, having learned quite a few languages in their time on Earth as well as their ancient dialect of Platt that was most common in Europe’s north. Russian and its sub-languages, Latin and a few versions such as Spanish, French, Italian and German as well as Chinese and Japanese was a helpful repertoire. Not tipping their hands though, they tended to stick to the language currently in the air around them as well as their sign language that they had made up years before ASL came along.

“Did you tell our mother about Mikael?” Elijah asked and sat up, swinging his legs onto the floor, frowning at his bare feet.

“Kol was supposed to share that detail with her and when he failed, I guess he’s being punished,” Klaus replied: “Now that you’re back on your feet, we need to once and for all deal with Divina, the werewolves and Camille.”

Klaus’ grimace when mentioning the name was barely a hint of a micro expression but sadly Marcel knew Klaus well enough to tell: “What do you have against her? I thought you liked her!”

“I do like her but the second she became a problem, I stopped caring as much.” Klaus lied. The lie, well-hidden for anyone else but Elijah that could hear the skip of a beat and the shields that told him so. He knew his brother liked Camille, probably as much as he liked Hayley but it wasn’t more than a bare like and companionship.

Especially now.

Marcel was about to get seriously pissed off but Klaus shot him a look and turned to Hayley: “Werewolves?”

“They agreed to meet and we might have found a way to offer them a deal,” Hayley replied: “But you might not like it.”

“Do tell,” Klaus encouraged her to continue.

She looked at Elijah and waited for a hint of some kind but when Elijah remained indifferent, she sighed and continued: “Your father shared his knowledge. If two Pack-Alphas marry, they share their magical gifts to their packs. If I were to marry them, my half-blood status would protect them from the moon.”

“And the fact about eternal life?” Elijah asked but didn’t voice any emotion. He liked Hayley but he wanted her to be strong and make her own decisions.

“I don’t know but this is the best deal we can offer. I am half-vampire so a part will always be loyal to you.” She promised.

Klaus looked at Marcel to see if the other man had any input or ideas to voice. When the other man remained silent, Klaus nodded: “Sadly, Ansel is dead and cannot confirm this for certain but if it is your folklore, then we should believe the part. If you are willing to marry, you should, but please think this over a few more days.”

Hayley frowned at him and still tried to read something into Elijah and her relationship but she didn’t get any hint from Elijah’s features. Klaus was staring intently at her and shaking his head: “You need to be happy with this Hayley, and consider Hope.”

Marcel nodded behind them though he probably didn’t know what this was about. 

Klaus stood, walking away from them now: “I’ll see you later. I somehow have built an appetite.”

Hayley was still looking at Elijah and Elijah – since Marcel walked also away – frowned at his lack of shirt and cloths. He had a torn t-shirt and plain, cleaned up pants but Niklaus should know by now that Elijah disliked being like this in front of others. Hayley among them.

“Don’t you have anything to say about me marrying someone?” Hayley asked, a slightly pissed off attitude accompanied her words that Elijah picked up on easily.

Walking over to his walk-in wardrobe, Elijah took one of the darker shirts and shrugged it on, turning back to Hayley when he was buttoning it up: “Hayley, we haven’t spoken much and I know it is my fault but personally, I had some things to deal with first. If you marry, I want you to be happy. Niklaus said it and I want you to be sure about what this means.”

“You want me to go ahead with this?”

“It would seem it is a perfect solution to our problems in getting the werewolves to ally with us. You are a natural leader and I can’t seem to imagine anyone else in your position. Whatever you thought may be between us, Hayley, I care about you and like you but maybe not the way you want me to.”

“Because I slept with Klaus?” she asked: “Because it would be weird to sleep with the woman your brother has a child with?”

Klaus decided to return that moment: “No, we did that in the past.” Elijah shot him an angry look and Klaus came closer, throwing an arm around his brother’s shoulders: “More like, because –“

Elijah quickly covered Klaus’ mouth with his hand: “Don’t. Not like this.”

Klaus looked slightly annoyed but shrugged: “Hayley would be a great leader; I agree with you. And she might always have a certain interest in common with us.”

Hayley looked from one to the other, annoyed that Klaus had interrupted their talk. She would have to corner Elijah again, both men could read that from her clearly. Klaus was not likely to leave Elijah alone too much right after the older had been kidnapped. Nope, not his mate, even if Elijah was the Sentinel and should protect him.

Stalking away, Hayley banged a door somewhere and Elijah sighed: “I should head out for dinner as well.”

“Ah nonsense,” Klaus replied and took of his leather jacket, a t-shirt underneath and removing that shirt as well, pointing at his neck: “I figured and brought enough blood back.”

Elijah smiled at him: “Perfect thinking, brother dear.”

Stepping into the circle of Klaus’ arms, Elijah kissed him on the lips first. This was new, a show of affection and intimacy. Yes, they had always been more touching than they had for example their other brothers Kol and Finn but Elijah had always thought it to be a side effect of their Sentinel and Guide abilities.

Therefore, showing intimacy and kissing wasn’t their norm. They had kissed each other on the cheeks or forehead, but never like this.

They had lived in times when you weren’t allowed to kiss anyone in public without being frowned at. They had lived in times when kissing your lover was only allowed behind shut doors. They had lived when kissing another man was threatened with death. They had lived where women were supposed to walk behind men, where women were disregarded and where they had to hide their view of the world.

It felt natural to indulge in their bond and show affection just as much as it felt weird to show affection and closeness. They were comfortable with each other but not routinely so. They were relying on their mental abilities to feel the other’s emotion to predict when to initiate a comforting touch or gesture.

The vulnerability, that came with showing they had a bond, was never good to give over to your enemies. 

“Stop thinking,” Klaus said, nipping Elijah’s lip and drawing blood: “Kiss me and take my blood. It is freely given.”

Elijah did just that. Kissing his blood from Klaus’ lips, tangling their tongues together and just tasting and feeling him. The reminder of the blood he had had, the slight smell of someone’s body odor on Klaus’ hands that he had for a victim. The feel of fine hairs on Klaus’ body though they were nearly non-existent. 

Trailing his hands down to the hips, Elijah dragged him closer, enjoying the feel of his body close to his. They had barely been bonded for a handful of days, three of them Elijah had been kidnapped and one of those days they had spent in Mystic Falls. It was time to reaffirm their bond.

Elijah’s eyes streaking black was the only warning Klaus got before those teeth sank into the vein on his neck and Klaus’ tilted his head sideways. It was still surprising how trusting Klaus was now when it came to Elijah. He would never have allowed to let his guard down before. Never allowed anyone to drink from his neck without at least a dagger close to fend them off.

Thousand years of drinking blood made Elijah know exactly how much he needed and how much Klaus could give. They were in sync in a way.

Drawing back to lock his eyes with Klaus’, Elijah expanded his senses and allowed his mental shields to thin enough so they were closer mentally.

“Anyone around?” Klaus asked and used his normal senses to check the compound they lived in but it was one thing to briefly check the close environment, another to assess it for a few blocks like Elijah could do now.

“Hayley is with Marcel across town,” Elijah replied: “Everyone else we drove away.”

They focused solely on each other, reaffirming their bond. And their new relationship. 

**

Feeling Klaus waking up next to him woke Elijah as well. The unusual feeling of someone sleeping next to him was making Elijah slightly nervous. They may have had bed-companions over their time but rarely ever slept next to them. It was simply not their usual setting and it showed.

Furthermore, Elijah registered Klaus’ heartbeat starting up again when he woke. The breathing pattern that started with the slight waking of the brain.

“You’re thinking again,” Klaus whispered.

Elijah snorted: “I merely assessed your heartbeat and breathing pattern.”

“Anything interesting about that?” Klaus asked and turned over, wrapping his arm around Elijah’s chest, placing a kiss over the other’s heart.

“Just familiar,” Elijah replied: “It reminds me when we slept in the house with our family. Your heartbeat was always stronger than the others. I could always focus on your heartbeat. When Mother hid my abilities, it was quiet.”

“Is that why you would spar with me and drag me to the ground and listen to my heart?”

Elijah nodded: “It should have tipped us off.”

Klaus stared at his brother: “Damn it Lijah, it should have!”

Ignoring it, they shared a kiss: “When I was a vampire, the first few minutes, all I could listen to was your heartbeat. I was focusing on it and I believe I never consciously stopped.”

“Another reason why I should kill Mother for this,” Klaus replied.

Not dwelling further on that memory and thought, they shared a little more on their private time and were actually glad that it was a quiet day where no one showed up to bother them or attack them.

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise to finish this soon! please take the time to comment. thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

Waking up, Elijah sat up straight, hearing a familiar heartbeat coming closer. The only problem with that heartbeat was that it was a werewolf.

Hayley was with that werewolf and while Elijah trusted Hayley, he couldn’t be certain that the man with her was the same trustworthy-kind.

Reaching his senses out to Klaus, Elijah was secretly glad that his Guide was a room over, painting on one of his unfinished works. The brush of the fine hairs on the slightly uneven surface was kind of irritating and Elijah dialed back down his hearing. Quickly getting up from the bed, he dressed rapidly, taking one of Klaus’ shirts as well because his brother preferred not to ruin his cloths with the oils he used.

Another fact that had amused them greatly was that Klaus’ paintings had once sold for hundreds of dollars and were worth millions now. Since every artist had a unique style in drawing, every once in a while Klaus would sell one of his newer paintings on the market, claiming and proving with his signature of the past that those were authentic and in a private collection. He had huge New Orleans’ ice cellars full of clays and oils that were ancient and didn’t have the nuclear residues.

Those paintings had sold for millions and had helped them through a rough patch once before Elijah had told his brother to invest in either Apple, Microsoft or IBM. They had and luckily enough having bought and robbed their ways though the planet had quite a few land ownerships that would save their days.

Not to forget that one vampire that Elijah had sired that was sitting on an oil treasure in the Arabic Area. Yes, Elijah knew those resources were limited and polluting the air which was why Klaus, Rebekah and he had invested in solar energy quite a while ago.

While Klaus hadn’t had the patience to run those investments, Elijah did. Being well off was one thing, faking yet another identity was becoming more and more tricky.

“Who’s joining Hayley?” Klaus asked him when he brought over the shirt. Elijah showing up dressed was one indicator they had visitors and let Klaus expand his senses.

“Jackson,” Elijah replied after confirming: “Probably the intended husband?”

Klaus took the offered shirt and shrugged it on, quickly flashing his brother a grin when Elijah checked him out. Elijah smiled back with a shrug: “I’ve always looked at you. I just never allowed myself to be caught or make it seem weird.”

That needed to process for a second: “Wait, you were attracted to me before?”

Elijah sighed: “This isn’t the time to discuss this, Niklaus.”

The feeling of anger was nearly drowning Elijah before Klaus got control over his feelings and it turned to hatred: “That witch!”

Elijah took a wild guess and thought Niklaus had felt the same up until they had been hexed. Needing to settle his brother a bit before the man projected hostility to the werewolf, Elijah whispered to him: “Always. Forever.”

The knock sounded through the rooms and Hayley stuck her head in: “Guys?” she entered when she saw Klaus and Elijah simply staring at one another: “May I introduce you formally?”

“So you are the intended husband?” Klaus asked with fake cheerfulness and that wasn’t fooling anyone.

**

While Hayley was working on bringing the pack around, some werewolves weren’t that interested in the treaty and attacked Elijah.

He had been out for a snack, looking for the next hideout of their mother when a few werewolves had attacked him right out. 

Being empathically connected to Klaus, he knew the other was already en-route when the first two werewolves had attacked. Elijah was fending them off easily but being fast and strong wasn’t helping much against a similar strong enemy. The first bite that dew blood barely registered and the second didn’t either.

Knocking them out and killing some of them, Elijah stood in the middle of them, looking down at them with a frown when Hayley and Klaus came running in: “Elijah?”

“I’m good,” he replied and looked at the reminder of his nice suit. Annoyed, he shrugged off the ripped jacket: “Do we know who they are?”

Hayley nodded: “They’re the ones not believing our marriage will change anything. They are still working for Esther.”

“Lijah?” Klaus drawled and indicated his skin. It was then that Elijah noticed quite a few bites and frowned at them. Before Klaus could offer to give him blood, the wounds were healing on their own.

“He’s immune?” one of the surviving werewolves asked in surprise and Klaus was next to the werewolf, about to snap his neck when Hayley halted him: “He’s just a puppet. They will know when the wedding in settling down and we share the abilities that they can come back.”

Klaus snarled at the wolf and knocked the man down: “Good, let them know Elijah won’t be affected any longer.”

“Yeah, how did that happen?” Hayley asked with a frown.

Elijah shared a look with Klaus before Klaus replied: “When Elijah had been kidnapped, I let him drink from me. I believe that my blood is still in his system.”

Hayley barely frowned at the blatant lie while Elijah shook his head in surprise: “Not the blood this morning?” the question was whispered and was using the one second that Hayley was distractedly looking at a werewolf on the ground.

“Shhht,” Klaus replied: “Probably all of those times?” he whispered, loud enough only for Elijah to hear. The blush that stole across Elijah’s cheeks was just adorable and a very rare occurrence. Elijah never blushed.

**

They were getting a location on Divina thanks to Kol. It was rather a bad idea to have Elijah around Kol and then follow the other but they needed to know where Mikael was located and what Divina’s plan was. The cry of a hawk made them look around in surprise and when their eyes settled on the bird, it disappeared into thin air.

“She inside?” Klaus asked Elijah, focusing on the hideout. Camille’s influence aside, Klaus was here now with Elijah, their magical dagger in the hand: “Let’s cause him pain.”

Elijah kept him from walking in yet: “Have we considered that this hut belongs to someone?”

“Have we considered that we’re a Sentinel and Guide now and not limited to those rules?” Klaus replied: “Either way we need to go there now.”

“Money-trick?” Elijah asked and referred to his move against the vampires hiding out behind the glass front of the café that blocked the light. They of course had used such similar tactics before and way in the past but in the earlier times wood wasn’t used on porches as much and coins were rather a common thing to carry around and strong enough to go through wood when they were throwing it. Alas, the money-trick. Wood only when they were needing stakes.

Klaus’ mad glint in his eyes confirmed that it was a good idea if they couldn’t go in.

Preparing a few logs of wood, they approached the porch, Klaus going so far as knocking. They had registered Mikael being inside with Kol and were pissed that their attempts to remove them from the bloodlines was still on going. This wouldn’t do. Elijah and he were not someone to easily be killed. Yes, Divina was manipulated by them all but she was a teenager with mood swings and too much power.

“Klaus,” Divina said slightly fearful when she opened the door. Elijah was hiding to the sideline and relaxing there, wood and dagger at the ready.

“Ah Divina, nice to see that my brother Kol found you,” Klaus grinned at his brother: “Kol.”

“Klaus,” the other replied: “So nice of you to drop by.”

Divina threw Kol a surprised look, obviously not knowing who her new friend really was and getting more pissed by the second that she had been used yet again. Klaus interrupted her mental turmoil when he caught it: “Where’s the White Oak Stake?”

Mikael walked up, thanks to Elijah sensing their father, Klaus was prepared: “Here, son.”

Klaus rolled his eyes and while still standing outside, looked at them and inched to the door. He didn’t feel any magic constricting him and walked right in much to the surprise of Divina and Kol: “Oh, sorry, were you expecting me to stay outside?”

“Mikael, subdue him,” Divina ordered and put the power behind it. 

The stake was already in Mikael’s hands and Klaus had no choice but to step back outside.

What they hadn’t counted on was Elijah standing just there, hidden and holding the dagger up. As predicted, Mikael stepped right into it in his haste to chase Klaus and kill him. The surprised look on Mikael’s face was priceless: “You?”

“I should have killed you the first time you laid a hand on Niklaus. Mother had protected you with a spell so that I wouldn’t. I know that now and won’t ever stand for you to hurt anyone of my siblings again.” Elijah’s calm words were controlled and forged in steel. Mikael’s reflex to stick the stake into Elijah was halted by Elijah’s predictions and his hand clamping around Mikael’s: “I am stronger than you, father.”

After the magical stake was vanished in Mikael’s chest, Elijah moved the White Oak stake around and drove it into Mikael’s chest right after.

The burning that resulted was watched by Camille, who drove up just then, Divina, Kol and Klaus that was looking at Elijah in surprise: “Lijah?”

“She robbed us of our heritage, Niklaus. I would never have tolerated being around him without a spell,” Elijah replied. The realization had come a few days before but now more than ever Elijah had been forced to act: “His whole being screams at me for how wrong he feels.”

“You dare to kill him?” Divina screamed in rage and was trying to attack them with her witch power but Klaus barely stepped over the now burnt corpse of his father. The slight brush of air against the remains and it fell to dust, leaving behind the two daggers that Elijah bent to pick up.

Klaus looked at her: “You don’t understand that he would have killed me the first chance he got and with that Marcel and your friend Joshua.”

“I was working on that!”

“Yes, with our brother Kol that was trying to manipulate you into helping him and Esther.” Elijah replied: “Oh and don’t bother trying another spell on us.”

Kol seemed to realize what was going on: “You’ve come online again.”

“Ah, brother dear has been remembering that part about us,” Niklaus said, mockingly: “My dear brother, it seems that Mother didn’t tell you about us being a Sentinel and a Guide again.”

Camille realized first what had happened due to her background knowledge of psychology: “So that is why Elijah wouldn’t ever stand for Mikael to attack you? Because his instincts scream at him?”

Elijah nodded: “Essentially, yes. I would never have allowed for him to kill anyone of our family let alone attack them. I’m a Sentinel, a protector. Klaus is a Guide and as such would have been protecting everyone just as fierce.”

Camille looked at Divina in her realization and Kol who nodded. It was Divina who talked to them first: “That essentially makes you different persons.”

“Not quite right,” Klaus answered: “I can still kill and enjoy it, but I won’t attack whom I consider pack.”

“What my brother is trying to tell you is that essentially, you are considered pack whether we like it or not. Our shared past and time is responsible for you to feel like pack. But do not cross us.” Elijah clarified and stepped close enough that his shoulder brushed Klaus’ in an attempt to ignore the stench of human decay and burnt flesh.

Kol tried to figure something else out and Klaus, ever the mind reader lately, caught it but didn’t give that knowledge until Kol actually asked: “Why isn’t Divina’s or my power working on you?”

“They’re bonded,” Divina replied: “I can sense the threads of their bond connecting them.”

“That is rather remarkable. We have met our Mother and faced her together but she wasn’t able to recognize the bond.” Klaus whispered before turning with a swift move to look at Elijah: “Well then, I guess that answered my question of whom to kill first.”

“Fathers first, mother next.” Elijah agreed: “So long as we have a decent plan. She might have figured out a way to keep us subdued.”

“Fathers? Plural?” Kol seemed to think it over: “Ansel? He was back?” the man looked startled and Klaus felt Elijah’s distaste at hearing Kol’s heartbeat that was so different now that he was in a different body.

“Dead as of a few days now,” Klaus replied with an offhand comment. He looked at Divina: “Can we expect more trouble from you in ways you try to kill us?”

“No, not for now. I need to see how you turn out to be. This changes things and I know you’re not to be spelled on that easily now.” Divina said: “How did you figure those things out?”

“You’re not the only witch we know,” Elijah replied: “Just the only one that is close by.”

“I’m willing to help you,” Kol offered from the side: “It may seem that I went with Mother’s plans…”

“But you didn’t tell her about Mikael being back alive either,” Klaus figured out: “I understand that. You probably didn’t have a choice if you wanted to keep on living.”

“She would never allow for me to stray from her cause without cutting my energy that keeps me in this body,” Kol replied but turned to Divina: “I am terribly sorry for using you and trying to lead you on. I was hoping to help my brothers in returning them to humans but fate and magic has a different plan and I will not help you kill them or figure out a way to remove them from the bloodlines.”

“I understand. They are your brothers after all,” Divina sighed but asked Camille: “Could you take me back to the city?”

“Of course,” Camille nodded but Kol stopped her from leaving with a hand on her shoulder: “My brother Finn is posing as your council. Do not trust his advice and be careful if you go back near him.”

“It that why I woke up with marks all over my body?” Camille asked and was touched by Elijah a second later who was feeling the skin through her shirt: “Those marks are for preparing her body. Whom is she intending to place in her? Herself?”

“Rebekah,” Kol replied: “But I do know a locking spell that Divina could cast and essentially lock Camille in her own body and not allow for anyone else to enter.”

“Please do that,” Camille looked at them all in turn, pleading with her eyes and apparently mentally because Klaus winced a bit and Elijah tightened his shields around him in response.

Elijah looked around the room and the spell sheets spread around: “We should work on a plan to get rid of her once and for all. I really can live without having to kill her every five or so years.”

Camille contemplated everything for a moment: “The books and records I found hidden may be of help. They have spells from different sources that could help us.”

“I will help you looking through them,” Kol agreed: “If we can find a spell to keep me in here would be great.”

“Just don’t do anything stupid like getting yourself killed again,” Klaus replied: “You may have believed to be the black sheep in this family but it is more I that is the black wolf.”

Divina considered Kol for a moment: “I might find a spell, let me look into it.” She was quite happy with a new task she could fully focus on. This was another friend she wanted to save even if Kol had lied to her as well, he essentially was showing his true self and the big brother protective streak in Elijah and Klaus was showing.

Not so much thinking about Finn. Elijah and Klaus shared a few thoughts that secretly showed them Finn was too dependent on their mother and essentially a lost cause. Maybe it wasn’t quite fair to exclude them but they had been secretly happy when Finn had been killed by Matt.

“What are you thinking?” Kol asked both his older brothers that were sharing looks and had kept quiet now. He knew that the bond of a Sentinel and their Guide was sacred and came with abilities to communicate. They essentially were too deep in each other’s heads: “I quite like that you’re able to reach each other more easily now and hopefully that there are not further stakings happening.”

Klaus grinned madly at Kol: “Let’s just say other stakings are happening.”

“I so did not need to hear that,” Kol said but had a small smile on her lips.

“Let’s go, I can’t much stand the stench of burnt father and the ashes anymore,” Elijah said simply and made a show of stepping over the remains of their father and the black, charcoal ground it left behind.

“So much for making a plan,” Camille sighed but let Klaus and Elijah walk away. They could easily meet back in the Quarter after all.

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sounds probably weird but I'm dedicating this chapter to my grandma and my uncle who would have had their birthdays today, if they hadn't passed away two months apart. the dagger in the chest represents my uncle's heart attack in a way, Camille, Divina and Kol coming together as a means to appreciate the support my family gave each other.   
> thanks for reading and sticking around! more coming up, soon!


	7. Chapter 7

While Klaus had been stopped by Elijah to out them to Hayley in a single, offhand remark, how she actually found out was slightly worse.

To celebrate their father’s yet-again-biting-the-dust, they had put on some music in Marcel’s pre-installed sound systems that drowned out the noise of the Quarter around them. They were having one of their favorite songs on and were actually dancing.

“You know, ballroom dances are not so common anymore,” Klaus smiled while he was leading them through their favorite pattern. They were currently using one older dance that you were dancing in a polite distance.

Elijah nodded: “Yes, I don’t really get the frizzy, jerky movements they do nowadays. Or that robot-diver dancing style.”

Klaus smiled at him: “But the Waltz and Tango, those I get.”

“You can’t get closer together by dancing than Tango or the Waltz,” Elijah agreed: “Shall we dance a Waltz?”

“Yes but only the reverse one.” Klaus agreed: “Remember when we took Rebekah to Vienna?”  
“And not too far apart,” Elijah hinted at the different holding positions: “I don’t want to get hindered by the turns due to a distance. It was just ridiculous to see those pairs back then stumble and fall or be out of sync due to not being allowed to press their hips together.”

Klaus laughed at the memory while pressing a button on a remote to skip a song and move to a Vienna Waltz. Elijah quickly unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves for a more relaxed feeling. They swiftly took positions, Elijah leading this time. It was easier for Elijah like this because as a Sentinel, he had more detailed control over his surroundings and leading someone backwards through a room was trickier than thought. Besides that, Elijah had won a dancing contest with a Waltz where Klaus only ranked third.

Luckily enough, the steps weren’t all too different from the female dancing partner to the male. They were simply the other foot first and everything followed easily after that. They had danced together quite a few times simply to scheme plans in ballrooms where they couldn’t simply sneak off to plan.

Leading them anti-clockwise through the whole room, Klaus’ back mostly turned to the wall, they lost themselves in the music and movements.

Sentinels and Guides were encouraged to use Katas of martial arts to calm each other down and move in tandem, to move together and get to the same baseline. Dancing was basically the same. Not that Klaus and Elijah couldn’t use fighting patterns just as easily.

Being so close and in an emotional closeness, Klaus simply breached the gap between them and kissed Elijah. It was easy and felt relaxed that they actually stopped moving around mid-dance and focused on the other.

Being only a few steps away from the wall was actually quite helpful because Elijah eventually did manage to walk and lead Klaus those few steps until Klaus’ back was pressed against the wall for support, their hands and lips everywhere now.

Removing Klaus’ dark green shirt followed next and Elijah carelessly threw it over his shoulder, not quite focusing on it since there was so much skin in front of him but his senses still registered the shirt landing in the middle of the big room. Ah well, who cared.

“Is this your favorite shirt?” Klaus suddenly asked Elijah and fingered the fabric. Before Elijah could actually voice it, his mind had already settled the matter that it wasn’t as important as getting skin on skin now.

The tearing of the shirt and buttons coming loose was a nice sound, followed by Klaus throwing the remains into a similar direction of his shirt. The soft rustling of his belt drew him back and Elijah swore not to get distracted by sounds again while they were making out. That and the music that was currently still playing but was softer and more elevator-music as referred to nowadays.

A second later, Elijah was pressed into the wall, Klaus now pressing into him from top to bottom. Their lips meeting aggressively as much as a few bites that were more a means to draw blood than hurt. It was a game, easily enjoyed and with the benefits of getting a few drops of blood. Blood that smelled of the other, tasted so unique that they would always identify it.

Elijah was too slow to catch a few drops of Klaus’ blood simply because Klaus’ hand was on his throat, tilting his head upwards to he could kiss and bite along Elijah’s skin while the blood run over his tattoo, down his chest and soaking into the waistband of his jeans.

Jeans, right, Klaus still wore those and he couldn’t have that. Elijah’s hands made quick work of the button and zipper while finally being released enough to kiss Klaus on the lips again.

It all felt like a haze suddenly. The bloodlust that was between mates was coming forward now. Pretty much the first time since they had been together, was the lust consuming them and layering on top of the Sentinel-Guide Bond they had. They were mates, truly and perfect though they never would have realized that without the spell gone. It was mesmerizing and shocking to feel this now.

Klaus’ pause in his movements to look him straight in the eye meant that he had caught up on what was happening here. The amount of blood drawn was unusual enough to indicate how far gone they were.

Reaching into Klaus’ pants and stroking his cock was getting the result Elijah had hoped for. His brother’s eyes were closing, his grip on him loosening while trying to stay on his feet. But working around the open pants was never good for getting the best angle and pleasure so Elijah regretfully had to use both hands and bush the pants down.

Apparently that had been a signal that his own pants were worthless and could be ripped to shreds. Not that these were his favorite suit pants but it was slightly funny. Not to forget that by now Elijah’s pants had soaked up enough blood as well to never wash out.

Feeling ridiculous standing there with his shoes still on, Elijah stepped out of them and once Klaus realized what was going on, helped him until he was completely naked. Using the few seconds, he rid himself of all his cloths as well and carelessly threw them behind them, not caring that their cloths with the blood pretty much looked like a massacre had taken place.

Using blood as lubricant wasn’t the best idea but hey, they healed instantly so that wasn’t a problem. Not to mention never catching diseases. Not that they thought about that now. They just did. Klaus’ fingers were covered in blood easily enough and while Elijah usually disliked blood on his body, the bloodlust was clouding his judgment and making this damn hot.

Two fingers were deemed enough for now and Elijah didn’t care. He was relaxed enough that it wouldn’t hurt him and he was lost enough in the bloodlust that they shared mentally that Klaus didn’t worry.

Wrapping his legs around Klaus’ waist, wall in the back, Elijah’s fingers were clawing into the skin and wall under his fingers to have some kind of leverage.

Being walked in on, was never fun though Elijah and Klaus had had that happening more times than they could count in their long lives. Nonetheless, it wasn’t anything but awkward. 

Just luckily enough, they were both coming down from their bloodlust and orgasms when it had happened. 

Elijah had simply not heard Hayley waling up to their courtyard nor had he heard her comment that she smelled blood and sped to the piles of cloths. That literally was the second before she had heard them breathing from having had sex against the wall and focused on them.

“Oh my god,” she dropped the piece of shirt she was holding in her hands like it burnt her.

Klaus’ shoulders tensed and Elijah’s focus was entirely falling on her now. It amazed him that she literally hadn’t registered to him as a threat. Probably also a side effect of falling under the bloodlust.

Caught in a bad spot, Klaus simply let Elijah down carefully, before rolling his eyes and turning to face her. After all, nothing she hadn’t seen before. For him at least. Elijah was a different matter. But one thing you learned over a thousand years was not to be ashamed of yourself even if you were naked. It literally happened more times than they could count. Like, when they had been killed with the twist to their necks and let to lie somewhere public in the city. Usually the poor robbed you before you woke.

“See, this is why I wanted to tell her when we last saw her,” Klaus replied.

“As you may feel her empathic confusion and shock, this wasn’t what I intended,” Elijah replied: “Now go on and feel relaxed again and stop projecting that to her.”

Klaus shot him a look that could have killed him but tried to mentally calm down and project at her. Hayley relaxed a second later with a frown on her face: “What was that? How can you do that?”

“While we actually wanted to sit down and talk this over, we have only had a handful of days and weren’t quite ready to share,” Elijah started: “We are essentially mated now.”

Hayley looked irritated: “What has changed now that hadn’t been there before if you only realized this now?”

“Our mother had cast a spell on us when we were kids,” Klaus replied: “Essentially blocking the supernatural threads connecting us to another.”

“Why would she do that?”

“In order to turn us immortal, Klaus couldn’t be the Guide that he was and I couldn’t be the Sentinel. We believe that she casted on us much sooner than that to prevent us from realizing we were a matching pair.” Elijah rattled off.

“You’re a Sentinel and a Guide? And Bonded?” Hayley asked and when she got a nod and a shrug in reply, nodded herself: “That actually explains quite a bit.”

“We are still sorry you found out like this, I had meant to sit you down and talk to you. It has been part of the reason why, ever since you were turned, I have kept my distance. My awakening senses and my slight empathic ability needed my focus and distracted me quite a lot. My mind was already focusing back on Klaus who had been my Guide even before I realized what was happening.”

“And a Sentinel focusing on their Guide can’t possibly entertain a relationship with someone else.” Hayley concluded.

“Essentially, yes.”

“While you are both rather attractive and definitely don’t have to hide anything, I’d prefer if you were dressed,” Hayley leered at them.

Elijah laughed before he sped away and brought them new cloths back down. Surprisingly enough for Hayley, Elijah did own jeans and t-shirts.

**

After having caught Hayley up on the events and she on the preparations with the werewolves and the wedding, they were now planning on gathering them all together to make a plan for Esther’s downfall. They didn’t want a repeat performance with Mikael where they had more luck than judgment.

Marcel had been the only one not to know about their new abilities and as a result was asked to come by a little bit earlier so they could discuss it with him. Yes, he was allowed to cross into the Quarter since they were working on a common goal.

“You wanted to include me in the fight?” Marcel asked with a frown. His fellow vampires he was yet again recruiting were not included.

Elijah passed a drink to Klaus and then Marcel while replying: “This will be decided at a later time. For now, if you are included in the scheming, you should know what everyone else will at that point.”

“Feel honored because not even our beloved sister knows of this yet,” Klaus threw into the conversation. Marcel was still looking from one to the other and frowning. Klaus added: “We’re a bonded pair.”

The relationship Klaus and Marcel had was a better one than Marcel and Elijah had thus they figured it was better to let Klaus talk to him. Marcel’s and Elijah’s history wasn’t that ideal though they got along.

“Bonded Pair? I thought vampires and werewolves could only ever mate for life?”

“That, we are, too.” Elijah agreed and Klaus took over again: “Sentinel and Guide Bonded,” he clarified: “Through a few spells we had been blocked from our heritage and came back into it very recently.”

Marcel took a sip of his drink but it was to hide his dislike and not to collect his thoughts. Klaus stiffened in response to those while Elijah maneuvered to stand between them, just in case: “Divina?”

That surprised them but Klaus informed him: “Kol posed as her friend and influenced her. We killed our father and Divina was quite accepting of our status.”

“It is just, that I know you as brothers,” Marcel replied: “Who is the Guide?”

Klaus and Elijah shared a look before Klaus replied controlled: “Your feelings of dislike are not one because we are brothers. But more likely that we are bonded and essentially powerful. You had a slight inkling of hope that Divina would be successful in removing us from the bloodlines but you know Sentinel and Guides are not included.”

Elijah stepped closer to Marcel: “And you don’t smell of vervain. Good.”

The implication was clear. Deal with the bond or be compelled to forget.

Before Marcel could verbally answer, Hayley with Jackson, Divina and Kol as well as Camille arrived to their Kill-Esther-Plan-Meeting.

“Ah thank you for participating,” Klaus said and invited them with a simple gesture to take a seat. It was their formal dining room, which Marcel had formerly used as a storage room, that they used. It was on the ground floor and a rather old look.

Serving a round of drinks for the humans, mostly white wine and water, they started throwing ideas into the room. Divina and Kol had been working on spells that they believed would keep them from returning again.

“We also found a spell so that I would be able to remain in this body until the natural death,” Kol replied and shared a look with Divina: “She can power the ritual.”

“That is a good thing,” Klaus agreed: “About Mother?”

Divina showed Elijah and Klaus a sheet of paper: “This outlines the ritual that has to be performed one full moon before the actual death. We need to channel her powers into the Earth where they belong, another part of the power goes into an anchor for Kol and with that we slowly drain her powers along with Finn’s. After a month, they should still be able to use magic but to a reduced point. When we then kill her, the remaining spell we will cast is nearly used to keep Kol tethered to life.” 

“Sounds reasonable,” Klaus agreed: “How do we capture her long enough to use the ritual?”

Camille smiled: “Inviting Rebekah back here would also draw Esther out. Then both you and Elijah can hold her down without any damage. We have witch suppression chains in that chamber I found.”

“Those will be quite handy,” Elijah agreed: “Do we burn her?”

“No, burning is so Salem,” Marcel replied: “This time nothing is to remain of her so I would suggest chemicals.”

“Where do we get those chemicals?” Klaus asked with a frown. He knew what chemicals nowadays could do to a body.

Marcel shrugged but Jackson leant forward: “Actually, one of our people works in a chemistry lab and can get the required amounts.”

“We need to neutralize the solution once her body is decomposed and use the water in a ritual in Lafayette.” Divina agreed: “That way nothing will be left from her.”

Elijah looked around the room when their conversation came to a halt: “So we are agreed?”

Kol and Niklaus nodded in tandem while Divina had a set determination in her eyes. Camille was balling her fist and then nodded once. Marcel looked around the room from one to the other and assessed the whole situation but apparently found nothing at fault because he, too, nodded once.

Klaus’ focus remained on Marcel for a moment longer than necessary and Elijah caught the gist of what Klaus had gotten on the empathic front from Marcel. Marcel was planning on doing something to take back over the Quarter but he was also realizing that with a Sentinel and Guide ability, Klaus and Elijah would be respected from quite a few supernatural beings. They were essentially the representatives of the supernatural, knowing that pretty much no one could morally corrupt them or influence them.

Basically, Elijah and Klaus’ way would eventually become the law. The law of staying hidden from the mortals. The law they would enforce. The law of harming others or going to war with another clan or pack. There simply was no corrupting the mind and justice feeling of a Sentinel and Guide. If they had been a Sentinel and a Guide from the start, it would have protected quite a few people from being killed.

The breaking up of their meeting was starling Elijah from his thoughts and Hayley was looking at him for assessment and a cue but as usual, Elijah kept to himself. His relationship with Hayley hadn’t improved at all ever since she had walked in on them. It was something they would have to address before everything was said and done and probably before the wedding as well.

tbc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter! stay tuned and thanks for any comments or kudos <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it, folks! thanks for sticking around and special thanks to:   
> SphereShadow for commenting continuously!  
> Sabon for asking and inspiring - you convinced me. twice. you'll see ;)

The following night, they were essentially looking into spells that could let Mikael stay dead. Klaus’ ice-cellar had one cabinet where they were storing old documents besides the paint. Those documents were copied and re-written from time to time to that the paper wouldn’t decay and the knowledge lost. Nowadays Elijah was contemplating copying them down to a computer simply because then he could copy that data or store it in the clouds. Maybe he should scan his diaries as well so that no one could sneak a peek into those again.

Klaus’ attention was suddenly focusing and Elijah knew right away that Klaus found what they were looking for: “I have the papers.”

“Can we include Ansel as well as Finn?” Elijah asked and stood up from where he was crouching, shaking some dust from his jeans. Because really, no point in using a suit when you were crawling on the floor the whole day. That and Elijah figured that somehow merging with his younger self in Esther’s dream did leave a few scars. But those were acceptable.

“I think so, yes. We should check with Kol and Divina,” Klaus agreed: “But I also want to offer Finn a way out. He doesn’t have to be like this.”

“I don’t think he would ever side with us, brother.” Elijah shook his head sadly: “He always was acting in favor of mother and I don’t see that changing anytime.”

Klaus agreed with a nod but Elijah knew that he would try just as well. They were silent about the topic of Rebekah. Inviting her back to see them so that they could let Esther come forward was a risk for Hope. Leaving Hope with a compelled human would work but Klaus wasn’t ready to leave his daughter in the unprotected care of a human.

The other options weren’t all that good, either. Add that Rebekah hadn’t been around when they had lessons as Sentinel and Guide and barely ever heard anyone speak about it so it was likely that she never knew about them. She may remember if they forced their memories on her but since they hadn’t decided on that yet, they didn’t worry just yet. But both weren’t foolish enough that they could never tell her. Rumors would surface soon.

Making their way to Divina’s latest hideout, Kol was sitting with her and they looked like they were very well in love. It surprised Klaus that they were fitting so perfectly and that Kol was essentially looking in love, something he hadn’t ever done in his lifetime as a vampire.

“Do you think they’re mates?” Elijah asked carefully. He could only hope that if they were, they would live together and find a way for Kol to stay.

Klaus shrugged: “It would appear so.”

They nosily stepped closer then, Kol smiling at them while Divina looked right at the paper in their hands: “Did you find anything?”

“Basically we could already anchor Mikael and Ansel into death to never return again. After Esther’s death, due to their marriage bond, we can include her. With Finn, through his strong loyalty to mother.” Klaus replied: “But that is only the theory.”

Divina looked at it closely and nodded: “Ansel and Mikael need to be anchored to death now. We cannot afford them to come back and fight with Esther. Not after she knows they’re dead again.”

“Agreed. What do you need?”

“Quite a few ingredients that I will tell Marcel. He used to have a few cellars and hiding spots for witch ingredients. We can’t risk going to a shop where a witch is loyal to Esther after all.” Divina said and damn, that girl was smart when she wasn’t on a pure hormonal outrage.

A quick call to Marcel later, they were joined by said vampire. The happiness Marcel showed when seeing Divina again was honest and swapped over to Klaus’ shields. It was good to see this side of Marcel again though Marcel had toned it down with hostile thoughts and takeover plans in his head ever since the meeting.

Klaus felt like he could completely trust him again.

Elijah was quietly assessing them all from the sideline, expanding his senses to see a threat coming but there was no one around. They stayed until Divina had finished the ritual with Kol’s help and could only sigh in relieve. No more Mikael or Ansel. This time for sure. The dead were given to Death, all magic and life force removed to never return again. Their souls essentially destroyed.

**

A week after they had killed Mikael, Divina and Kol suddenly showed up unannounced, simply walking into their home and throwing out greetings so that Klaus or Elijah would hear them. Elijah had of course registered them from blocks away simply because they were pack but hadn’t quite known where they were headed.

Now, walking in, Klaus and Elijah greeted them down in the yard: “Hello. What can we do for you today?”

“More like, what can we do for you,” Kol replied: “We stumbled upon a few spells and rituals that even a bonded Sentinel and Guide Pair could do as a bonding ritual.”

Divina nodded excitedly and produces a plain jewelry box: “Those rings are essentially that of a bonded pair. They are meant to mentally enhance the bond between a Sentinel and their Guide, exceeding what they have naturally.”

“When I read of them, I remembered that mother had tried before to use them in a ritual to draw energy from them but failed. The origin of those rings is older than we are.”

Divina nodded: “The designs are Persian.”

“And they’re for us?” Elijah asked interested. Of course they had heard of rings for Sentinel and Guides, much like marriage rings, to show to people what they were. Mostly those rings were specific so that normal people could also tell who was a Guide and who was a Sentinel. Many unbonded tended to wear those rings on a certain finger and when bonded switched them around.

“Yes, they are,” Divina agreed: “Add that I spelled the Sentinel ring to be a sunlight ring without difficulty. Marcel was kind enough to test it out.”

Kol smiled: “The Guide ring, we spelled with a mental enhancing component. It should be even easier for you now to read someone.”

Klaus stepped closer, interested and took the box from Divina, flicking the box open. In it were two white and yellow gold rings, a few designs worked in that represented the shields of a Sentinel and a Guide, consisted with the stone. Divina continued: “I admit I had to alter the design due to the witchcraft needed for the stone but it is the basic design.”

“Those are lovely,” Klaus admitted and showed them to Elijah who of course had already seen every fine detail: “What do you expect in return of those?”

Divina grimaced and Kol shook his head sadly but Klaus picked it up a second later. Nothing. They were just glad for them. Finally, a supernatural Sentinel and Guide pair that could speak up for them. That could protect them.

All the stories about witches burning, vampires being hunted and werewolves killed. Those had an origin after all. Legends that were born out of fear. They were the reason Sentinel and Guides had existed and had been read into the myths to hunt them. They were the reason Sentinel and Guides had hunted and killed them. 

Luckily, nowadays scientist had worked hard to explain most of the myths without exposing them. The reason vampires had the unspoken law never to tell what they were. Why witches were careful whom they put under a spell. Why werewolves tended to live in packs that mimicked a family and staying hidden.

The few Sentinel and Guide pairs that knew of them, were hunters or protectors of the humans. Klaus and Elijah would be the protectors of them and avenge unjust killings and those that hunted for sports. They would rule the city under their influence.

They were an Alpha Pair.

“Anyways,” Kol said after Klaus stayed silent for a moment while Elijah was letting Klaus figure it out on his own: “We’ll be seeing you when we cast the ritual.”

“Thank you,” Elijah said and smiled at Divina, reaching out to touch his brother’s shoulder briefly: “It is a great gift.”

Klaus nodded, sending a wave of thankfulness after them before turning around and leaving as if the whole situation hadn’t affected him at all. It was typical Klaus to show a serious demeanor when he was emotionally unsure or compromised with something he didn’t quite know how to deal with.

Elijah followed him upstairs to the drawing room, taking the rings with him. Klaus was turning back to the paining he was working on but Elijah could tell his mind wasn’t in his art but elsewhere.

Watching his brother work on that for a moment, Elijah decided to interrupt his Guide and show him that he wasn’t alone in being surprised by the gift and the sincerity it came from. It was a gesture of trust given by Divina and a means of apology and unity by Kol.

Stepping into Klaus’ personal space, Elijah stilled the hand of Klaus’ and set aside the color palette. He pulled the hands towards his face and pressed a kiss to the fingers before reaching with one hand to open the jewelry box again and withdrawing the Guide ring: “Always. Forever.”

Klaus nodded, a literal light bulb going off in his head when he reached out and followed suit, placing a ring on Elijah’s finger: “United. Forever.”

The feeling of the rings merging with magic and their enhancement of the mental gift was startling for a second and both men wondered briefly why they needed accessories to connect on a much deeper level.

Kissing came easily then and without either of them consciously moving. It was like not even thinking what to do next, what they wanted, before realizing that it was already happening. It was making every single touch a mirror touch on the other’s skin, not knowing where one began and the other ended.

Drawing back from their kiss, Elijah barely registered that they had made their way to the bedroom but leaving a trail of cloths in their wake. It was eerie similar to their first bonding but also like a strong memory coming back to them from when they had mated.

Elijah was biting Klaus before another thought could fully form in his mind and suddenly, as much as it had been hazy seconds ago, they snapped into synch in their own heads again. The biting was Klaus’ wish, wanting to be marked by his Sentinel, knowing his Sentinel would taste him like this, sharing his immunity to werewolf bites to shelter him as much as Elijah was trying to shelter him from physical threats.

Hands were blindly reaching for skin, scratching marks onto their backs and hips, lapping with their tongues over the trails of blood it was leaving behind before healing again. Elijah was biting along Klaus’ neck, down over the collarbone that he loved to nip at, further down to bite lightly, teasingly on the nipple.

Klaus’ body was showing more responses than his moans or the empathic feedback could transmit to a Sentinel. The blood flowing under the fingers, the goosebumps and fine hairs, fingers trailing down the happy trail.

One hand burying in Elijah’s dark hair, fisting the short strands while the other hand was reaching out, intertwining their fingers until the metal of their new rings clinked. Taking him into his mouth, the other hand reaching out to the leftover lube from the night before.

“Just hurry up,” Niklaus hissed, eyes nearly black but the good kind, not the –vamped-out-kind.

Nothing else but complying the demand of his Guide, Elijah quickly coated his fingers, slipping them inside easily, Klaus’ empathy making him relaxed and trusting Elijah completely not to hurt him.

Crawling up to kiss his brother directly on the lips, Elijah moved one of his hands to stroke Klaus’ cheekbone, looking him straight in the eye: “Guide.”

“Sentinel,” the other replied, closing his eyes on a wave of pleasure and pain when Elijah slipped inside, bottoming out right away.

“Mate,” Klaus followed up and Elijah could only groan in response before he started moving. 

Mentally, another shield dropped. Surprisingly, it was one layer, that hadn’t dropped before. Sharing their pleasure in near perfect synch, so deeply connected mentally and physically that they could see their shields literally glowing a faint blue. It was resonating and vibrating with each trust, each wave of arousal and pleasure that spiraled them higher and higher.

Trying for a kiss but moaning too much, Elijah gave up over the control he still tried to hold on to and pushed in deep, coming not a second later, right alongside Klaus.

The blue of their shields was glowing brightly but fading quickly. Their bond settling into their original bond that they were used to.

**

It was a month between Mikael’s death and the final steps in Esther’s killing. The last full moon had just been before they had bonded and waiting for their plan to happen for three solid weeks had felt like they were holding their breaths and waiting for an attack from Esther. When not a single one appeared, they knew she hadn’t found a single way to harm them with their shields up.

Divina and Kol’s latest spell was done on Lafayette Cemetery and followed along as planned. They knew Esther would feel the shift in magic and that she was tied closer to death now. She was also locked into her human form and couldn’t travel into another body.

Not that she needed another body. As soon as the ritual was over, Divina looked at Kol with a big smile: “You are now removed from your mother’s influence and your body is tied to other forces here.”

They shared a kiss while Klaus got ready mentally. Elijah was also now getting ready for anything and expanding his senses across the city to find Finn and Esther. He felt Klaus’ hand on his, anchoring him and allowing him to spread out his senses much further than he was before.

He stumbled right into her new voice, a second later focusing on her new heart beat that he had memorized for this exact purpose: “I’ve got her. She’s with Finn.”

Camille was rattling the shackles with a smile: “Let’s get that bitch.”

Marcel was quickly helping Divina gathering up all the candles they had used for the spell and turned to Elijah: “Can you tell me the address so I can get the bowls of acid there?”

Elijah shook his head: “But I can give you directions.” 

Hayley, Jackson and Marcel were getting onto the truck, keeping their breathing to a minimum so they wouldn’t tip Finn off that they were coming.

Elijah, Klaus and Kol were approaching directly, Divina and Camille only a few steps behind them.

“Mother?” Klaus called out, taunting her. They could hear her reacting frantically and then appear on the doorstep: “You.”

“Is that a way to welcome your sons?” Elijah asked.

“You are monsters!” she replied: “Finn, do something about them.”

But Kol was faster and kept Finn from coming closer: “No, he won’t.”

“And I am not coming outside,” she said: “this is my home now.”

Elijah approached the door and fluently stepped through: “You see, mother, the problem in your plan was that as a Sentinel and Guide, this is merely another house that we need to be able to enter in case we need to protect someone.”

The horrified stare Esther gave them was one thing but the fear that crossed her mind and swapped to Klaus was another. Camille stepped closer then: “Oh and thanks for covering me in marks, bitch!” before throwing the suppression chains onto the woman: “I could live without knowing Rebekah was supposed to be in my body.”

“What are you going to do?” Finn asked: “Kill us?”

“We will see,” Klaus replied. The truck stopped right outside then and the doors opened to show Hayley, Jackson and Marcel. The surprise on Esther’s face when the werewolf stepped out with them was telltale. They quickly opened the back of the truck: “One delivery right up.”

“Good,” Klaus took Esther’s shackles and pushed her onto the cart, opening a bowl of acid that was there: “Sorry, mother, this is going to hurt.”

He pushed knocked her out with a quick move, unchained the useful shackles before lowering the body into the bowl. Sadly, there was nothing they could do for the poor woman that had gotten possessed. Esther had locked herself too deep.

Closing the lid on the fizzling acid, Klaus wrinkled his nose. Elijah was having a grim face a few steps over while Finn was screaming his lungs out.

“Finn, we can offer you to join her or you accept your life situation and follow us, stand with your siblings.” Klaus turned to the other but was suddenly stopped when another witch and a bunch of werewolves showed up to join the fight.

The witch first rendered Kol and Divina unconsciousness, loosening their hold on Finn who used the second he had to run at Elijah for an attack.

Elijah was fighting off werewolves with Hayley and Jackson and had his back turned to Finn.

Klaus was already sprinting over when two things happened at once. 

Elijah was turning back around, sensing Finn coming on while another werewolf was attacking him from behind, injuring Elijah.

And Marcel? Marcel was suddenly between Finn and Elijah, getting the full force of a fist shoved into his chest but given that he was jumping in front of Elijah, the angle was off and no heart was close to being ripped out. Nonetheless, Marcel’s arms were around Finn’s neck in an instant and seeing that he was human, with a snap of the neck, Finn’s body tumbled to the ground.

It was as if the whole fight stopped there. The one witch that had been against them had tried stopping Klaus but was realizing quickly when Klaus was next to Elijah a second later, that that hadn’t worked. The werewolf who had hurt Elijah was dead a second later though Klaus yet again felt a pang of sadness of having killed a werewolf of his bloodline.

Everyone froze then. The werewolves realized that Esther wasn’t around and with Finn’s body on the ground, they were out of their depth.

The witch was the only one currently being a danger but Camille had disappeared along the sidelines and was attacking with those chains that snapped around the wrists of the witch. They would probably be able to talk her out of harming them.

Finn’s body was quickly stored in the other bowl of acid and they left for Lafayette Cemetery again, where Divina would cast the remaining part of the spell, after they neutralized the acid with a basic solution.

The whole part of the last ritual was rather uneventful. The water with the dissolved bodies was emptied out on the cemetery, Divina speaking a few words and getting a bit of power from Kol at one part and giving Kol a bit of power from the ritual so he could remain in the body.

Not staying longer on the cemetery than they needed to, Klaus and Elijah left first. They had nothing to say goodbye to. They had mourned their parents a long time ago and never looked back.

That was how they missed what looked like a hawk dancing, engulfed in soft blue light from the spirit world, and a happy howling wolf.

**

Celebrating the wedding, Klaus and Elijah were relaxing to some degree. They had treaties with the witches now, thanks to Divina, and a treaty coming right up with the wolves, thanks to the wedding they were attending now.

Hayley had surprisingly, fallen for Jackson. Klaus could tell from her emotions that she was happy and that this could have been a worse fit for her. She was glancing into their direction only every two hours now, checking whether they were looking mad or something.

Klaus had actually convinced Elijah to a dance somewhere in between the wedding chaos and people. It had gotten a stare from quite a few werewolves and vampires that weren’t in the know but Klaus didn’t care. He had never thought it wrong to dance with a man much less his own brother.

Rebekah had also made it. She had come by, having Hope hidden in their house outside the city that had been finished constructions. Hayley had been glad to see Hope and had asked to include Jackson. Klaus at first was worried but knew the other man needed to know if he was married to Hayley and meant it.

The emotional loyalty Klaus felt from Jackson was enough now to settle his mind on the matter. Tomorrow, after the partying, they would tell Rebekah about them and introduce Jackson to Hope.

Klaus knew that Elijah was just as happy to see the baby girl again.

Drawing his mind back to the party, Klaus was startled to see Rebekah in front of him, trying to figure something out while also looking at Elijah: “Nik, what is going on with you?”

“Whatever do you mean, my dear sister,” Klaus asked with a smile but Elijah was stepping a bit closer to his brother.

“That! Right there,” she indicated how close Elijah was standing to Klaus and assessing the whole crowd. 

“This isn’t the place for that conversation,” Elijah interrupted: “We promise to tell you but not inside a whole crowd of people who can overhear.”

“No, this is something important that quite a few people know about!” she replied: “so spill!”

Before either Elijah or Klaus could reply, Kol, in his new body, showed up. They hadn’t met before and with Rebekah coming to town right before the wedding, Hope had been more important. So this was a surprise when the kid threw an arm around her: “My dear sister Bekah.”

She swirled around, looking at the kid in front of her before frowning: “Kol?”

“The one and only,” he replied: “Sorry to startle you, I had thought my brothers would have told you of my return.”

“Sorry, we didn’t have time to share our killing our parents again and you suddenly dropping in a new body,” Klaus replied: “We had my daughter to discuss.”

“You have a daughter?” Kol asked surprised: “Who’s-“

“That would be me,” Hayley said, coming up to their group and hugging Rebekah: “So good to see you. I really like your dress.”

“Thank you, and congratulations on your marriage. You look amazing. Do you think Jackson is your mate?” Rebekah asked right out.

“I actually do, yes.”

“Lovely, this is great to hear,” she smiled and turned back to Kol: “And you?”

“Oh, I think my mate is Divina. I am a witch now in this body and feel she is my perfect match,” Kol agreed: “But why don’t we party tonight and talk tomorrow?”

Rebekah agreed to the plan but still couldn’t help but focus on a few people in the room and what this would mean.

Then, she caught it. The small gesture but telltale. Klaus had only ever used that gesture with someone he loved, someone he had slept with. And that gesture was aimed at Elijah.

The bottom was about to drop out but suddenly, Klaus and Elijah were at her side, a soothing mental wave swapping over her, keeping her calm: “What was that?”

“Something we wanted to share tomorrow but given your panic, it is now that we have to tell you,” Klaus replied: “I mentally projected the calmness.”

“But that would mean-“ she frowned: “a Guide? You’re a Guide?”

“He is,” Elijah agreed: “And I’m his Sentinel. We came back into our heritage because of mother. With this we realized she had spelled us from the beginning that we wouldn’t find our perfect match in a mate and a Sentinel-Guide Bond.”

“So I didn’t misinterpret this gesture then? You really are mated?” she asked carefully. But suddenly, when the nod came to answer her, she realized what that actually meant. What that actually changed between them. 

Nothing.

Klaus and Elijah had always been closer than Klaus and Rebekah, or Klaus and Kol. Or Elijah and Kol or her. It was nothing that had changed but had been suppressed.

“Then I guess this could be seen as your wedding as well?”

The surprised look on her brothers’ faces made her laugh. Elijah caught her sense of humor through Klaus and that while she had needed a second for it to settle in, that she was quite happy.

“Does this mean your over-protectiveness of me is back?” she asked with a smile: “Because I am very well capable to fend for myself.”

“Oh, that we know, my dear sister. No, this merely means we can easily protect you know,” Klaus replied.

Rebekah smiled at them and did something she rarely ever had done. She wrapped her arms around them both and drew them into a group hug: “Always. Forever.”

Now, all Elijah and Klaus had to do was get her the perfect mate she deserved.

the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: i didn't want to include Marcel but then thought twice about it and gave him a bigger part.  
> @Sabon: the b!klaus is for you.  
> thanks to everyone for reading! please leave a comment ;)

**Author's Note:**

> I've continued this story and it is currently in progress. 16k+ words


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